BEIRUT, Lebanon / ISTANBUL

US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived in Beirut on Sunday, days after the Lebanese Cabinet approved an army plan to bring all weapons under state control, including those held by Hezbollah. 

Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported that Ortagus landed at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on an unannounced visit, without giving details about her schedule.

Her arrival comes less than 24 hours after Gen. Brad Cooper, the new head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), wrapped up his first trip to Israel and continued to Lebanon. Cooper assumed command on Aug. 8. 

The Lebanese military said army chief Gen. Rodolphe Haykal received Cooper in Beirut along with Michael Lenny, who chairs a five-nation oversight committee monitoring a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel. The body includes representatives of the Lebanese army, Israel, the UN peacekeeping mission, and mediators from the US and France. 

The army statement said talks focused on Lebanon’s fragile security and economic situation and ways Washington could support the Lebanese military amid ongoing challenges. 

In Israel, Cooper met Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and senior defense ministry officials, toured settlements near the Gaza Strip, and discussed regional security coordination, according to Israeli daily Haaretz. 

On Aug. 5, Lebanon’s Cabinet directed the army to design and implement a comprehensive plan by the end of 2025 to ensure all weapons are held solely by the state. 

Hezbollah has rejected the move, with Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem insisting the group would only disarm once Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory, halts its military actions, releases detainees, and reconstruction begins. 

Israel launched military operations in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and injuring around 17,000. 

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target activities of the Hezbollah group. 

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.