Despite hopes of Trump's envoy, Lebanon-Israel normalization deemed unrealistic
US special envoy Steve Witkoff's recent statements on Lebanon potentially normalizing ties with Israel suggest, experts say, the Trump administration may be misreading the country's regional and domestic dynamics.
BEIRUT — The optimism sparked by Lebanon's recent changes following the end of the Israel-Hezbollah war last November, the election of a new president and formation of a new government, has led US Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff to suggest that Lebanon's prospects of normalizing ties with Israel are on the upswing.
The newly appointed Middle East envoy suggested that regional shifts could extend to Lebanon and Syria because of Lebanon's new leadership and the removal of Syria's pro-Iran Assad regime.
“Lebanon, by the way, could actually mobilize and come into the Abraham Peace Accords, as could potentially Syria. So, so many profound changes are happening,” he said at the American Jewish Committee event in Washington, DC, on Feb. 25.
Witkoff offered no further details, but his remarks drew skepticism, with analysts calling them unrealistic and doubting Lebanon's willingness to pursue a full peace deal with Israel anytime soon.
