October 24, 2026
The US State Department has resolved the controversy over the existence of a US-Turkish proposal aimed at bringing about political changes in Lebanon, categorically denying any plan supported by Washington to amend the political system based on the “Taif Agreement.”
The American position came in response to reports circulated by the media that spoke of an initiative attributed to Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, based on a Turkish-American proposal, which stipulates the disarmament of Hezbollah, in exchange for redistributing power equally between Christians, Shiites and Sunnis, and appointing a Shiite figure as commander of the Lebanese army, in addition to handing over heavy weapons to Iran.
In this context, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigot confirmed on the “X” platform that “there is no American-Turkish proposal related to Lebanon, nor any American-backed proposals to change the structure of the Lebanese political system established by the Taif Agreement.”
Pigot stressed his country’s full commitment to working with Lebanon and Israel through the “tripartite framework” to end the conflict once and for all, noting that the American strategy in the next phase is based on three basic goals.
The first pillar is to disarm Hezbollah, which he described as “Iran’s terrorist proxy,” while the second pillar aims to achieve long-term security for both Lebanon and Israel. The third pillar is based on building peaceful relations between the two neighboring countries on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that Washington welcomes any support from international partners to achieve these goals.
