Deeper into Foreign Tutelage: After the Airport, the Port Falls Under US Oversight

Translated by Al-Ahed News, Al-Akhbar Newspaper

During the height of the "Israeli" war on Lebanon, Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya channel effectively served as a mouthpiece for the "Israeli" army. It became — and still is — a favored platform for both American and "Israeli" officials to broadcast military statements, circulate anonymous “intelligence,” and disseminate large volumes of misinformation. Over time, a significant portion of Lebanese politicians and the public began to treat the channel’s reports as direct announcements of the enemy’s agenda.

With that in mind, Washington and Tel Aviv continue to use the channel to push their messages. That’s exactly what US diplomat Morgan Ortagus did after leaving Lebanon for Abu Dhabi, where she told Al Arabiya that Hezbollah is “a cancer Lebanon must get rid of.” It later became clear that her softer tone while in Beirut was a calculated move to avoid embarrassing the “allies” she had just met within Lebanon’s new ruling coalition.

Ortagus used the platform to deliver a pointed message to the Lebanese government, urging it to take specific measures at the Port of Beirut. Al Arabiya soon aired a report quoting a “Western source” who claimed that “Hezbollah operates freely at the port through a network of collaborators,” and that its control over the facility “makes it easier to bring in weapons by sea.” The report went on to allege that units 190 and 700 of Iran’s Quds Force were managing the maritime arms smuggling route, especially following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s grip and the imposition of airspace restrictions.

As expected, the report triggered a local media campaign in Lebanon — one that exaggerated the claims and added further falsehoods. The timing suggests a clear agenda: to lay the groundwork for heightened security measures at the port, mirroring what’s already in place at Beirut’s airport, or possibly to justify a future "Israeli" military strike.

Soon after, the Lebanese government sprang into action. Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamni — whom Ortagus had reportedly praised after meeting him at the US Embassy in Awkar — canceled his appointments and rushed to the port. There, echoing the new narrative, he pledged that the government would implement the same measures at the port as those enforced at the airport. “We’ll take just as strong an approach here as we did at the airport,” he said, adding that he had already requested tighter security and increased surveillance.

He emphasized that “security is a top priority” and said the government must review the port’s legal framework, restructure its board, and revise existing laws to make them more effective. He also pointed to jurisdictional conflicts among the various security agencies operating at the port.

This latest US move adds another layer to what appears to be a broader American-"Israeli" strategy to reshape Lebanon’s political and security order. It’s not just about disarming Hezbollah — it’s about stripping Lebanon of every tool it could use to defend itself against "Israeli" aggression and placing all of its key infrastructure under American control.

Beirut’s airport already underwent this process. During and after the war, the facility was placed under a strict security regime outlined in a US-drafted protocol that dictated the work of every administrative and security body. That system effectively placed Lebanese personnel under American command, turning them into enforcers of a foreign-designed security order.

Ortagus’s recent visit made it clear that similar plans are now in motion for the port. According to sources, she discussed the matter in detail — even inquiring about upcoming appointments to vacant or soon-to-be-vacant posts. She reportedly delivered a message similar to previous US communications, demanding that anyone with ties to Hezbollah be excluded from key positions at the port, especially within the customs authority.

Those who met with Ortagus said her message was unmistakable: Washington wants full control of the port, just as it now has over the airport. The fake news campaign that followed only confirmed the agenda she had laid out.

Sources also said that the US Embassy in Beirut has taken the lead in talks with Lebanese officials about managing the port. There’s even quiet chatter about an American security team already monitoring operations — discreetly, for now. The expectation is that Washington will soon begin imposing conditions on the port’s operations, including which ships can dock, what cargo is permitted, and what is banned — just as it did with Iranian aircraft.

French Legal Delegation to Meet Judge Bitar

As Judge Tarek Bitar resumes his work on the Beirut Port explosion case, amid renewed international interest, sources say a French judicial delegation is scheduled to visit Beirut at the end of April. The team will meet with Bitar to exchange findings from both countries’ investigations. Two judges from Paris’s investigative branch will reportedly bring a detailed report outlining the results of the French probe, which began just days after the August 4, 2020, explosion that killed three French citizens, injured others, and caused property damage affecting French nationals in Lebanon.

A previous French delegation visited in early 2023 and met with Bitar to request Lebanese documentation. At the time, Bitar claimed he couldn’t provide the files due to his suspension from the case following multiple legal challenges.

In continuing the probe, Bitar is expected to hold a session tomorrow to question former General Security Chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim, who received a personal summons via the public prosecutor’s office. Former State Security Director Major General Tony Saliba — currently abroad — was summoned through his wife.

Legal sources say these steps may be part of a loosely defined agreement to send a political message abroad: that Lebanon’s new leadership has reopened the investigation, albeit through questionable legal means. Political and judicial authorities have allowed Bitar to resume work without resolving the appeals to remove him. For now, the apparent strategy is to avoid issuing arrest warrants before releasing the final indictment.

But the real controversy is likely to erupt when Bitar sends the incomplete file to the Judicial Council. That move would reignite debate over the legality of his actions, especially given that any formal charges would be issued while he was still technically barred from the case. In short, it appears the goal is to wrap up the technical part of the investigation and leave the political battle for later.