United States Special Envoy Tom Barrack sparked outrage after telling Lebanese journalists to act “civilized,” not “animalistic,” during a news conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday.
Barrack, joined by deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus, was in the Lebanese capital as part of US efforts to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. During the briefing, he scolded the journalists for calling out questions simultaneously – a common practice in news conferences – linking their behavior to what he described as a broader “problem” in the Middle East.
“Please, be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell you something. The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he told the reporters.
Lebanon faces a delicate dilemma. It relies on crucial US support while accommodating Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in the country, even as it comes under frequent Israeli military attacks.
“Do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan (Ortagus) and I to be here putting up with this insanity?” he told the journalists.
