Overview

• At a press conference in the presidential palace, Tom Barrack told journalists to behave civilized and warned he would leave if the briefing became chaotic, using a comparison to animals.
• Lebanon’s presidential office later issued a statement regretting words uttered by one of its guests on its stage without identifying Barrack, while affirming respect for accredited journalists.
• Reporters and commentators on X criticized the remarks, with some calling them arrogant, racist, or humiliating, and sharing clips from the event.
• Before Barrack arrived, palace spokesman Rafik Schlala asked the press to maintain order and pose questions one by one due to restlessness in the room.
• Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey who is of Lebanese descent, has not publicly commented further, and no U.S. statement was reported.