Overview

• U.S. envoy Tom Barrack told Lebanese reporters to act "civilized" and warned against being "animalistic" during a Beirut press briefing tied to talks on Hezbollah’s disarmament.
• The Lebanese presidency issued a statement of regret over remarks made from its podium, and press unions demanded a public apology and threatened to boycott Barrack’s events.
• Lebanese state media and AFP reported that protests in Khiam and Tyre led Barrack to cancel planned stops after he landed in Marjayoun, with demonstrators waving Hezbollah and Amal flags and displaying anti-U.S. banners.
• The U.S. State Department defended Barrack, saying his comments were mischaracterized and calling him an excellent representative for the administration.
• U.S. outreach continues to promote a plan tying Hezbollah disarmament to a Saudi- and Qatari-backed economic zone in southern Lebanon alongside steps by Israel, while Lebanon’s army has been tasked with drafting a disarmament plan.