Three days after former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri suspended his participation in political life along with his Future Movement, several Lebanese newspapers and websites carried a report saying that a delegation from the American embassy visited three deputies from the Future Movement in Akkar. In a report on January 28, 2022 that was circulated by a wide range of Lebanese websites, Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote: “The American embassy in Beirut inaugurated its “electoral campaign” with a visit to three deputies from Akkar, i.e. Deputies Walid al-Baarini and Tarek el-Merhebi who occupy the Sunni seats, and Deputy Hadi Hobeich who occupies the Maronite seat.” The newspaper noted, however, that the delegation did not visit the remaining deputies representing the area, namely Mohammad Suleiman, perhaps because he lives in Wadi Khaled, Lebanese Forces Deputy Wehbe Katicha, Free Patriotic Movement Deputy Assaad Dargham, and Deputy Mustafa Hussein who occupies the Alawi seat.
The newspaper then reported “according to information” whose sources it did not clarify further, the sessions featured questions from the US delegation on two levels: The political one and the security one. On the political level, the newspaper said that the questions revolved around what the three deputies thought about Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and the political choices he has made and also about the remaining deputies and potential candidates from the other blocs. The discussions then addressed the Syrian presence in Akkar and Hezbollah’s role and influence in the region. On the other hand, the security situation in the governorate was tackled, along with the ability of the security forces to control the situation, especially in light of the mounting talk about the terrorist groups’ regaining of their role and the intensification of their recruitment activities among the youth to get them to fight in their ranks, using the economic and financial crisis and the security mayhem on the northern border.
The newspaper then relayed information from “knowledgeable sources,” saying that “the delegation has a lot of data about the situation in the governorate but that it seems to be seeking to present a field study after comparing its information with the one it gathered following the meeting with the deputies from the Future Movement, especially since all three of them are determined to run in the elections again on one list, despite Al-Hariri’s announcement of the suspension of political action.”
Several websites, especially those generally considered to be opposed to US policy in Lebanon, relayed Al-Akhbar’s report, such as Safir al-Chamal website and Al-Khandeq. Noticeably, however, media that is generally considered friendly to US policy in Lebanon took up the same story, pointing to the fact that the purpose of the delegation’s visit was an electoral one, such as Nidaa al-Watan, L’Orient Today, and the pro-Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, which started its article as follows: “United States Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea dispatched representatives on her behalf to Akkar (North Lebanon) on a exploratory and reconnaissance mission, to learn the reactions to former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s announcement of the suspension of his participation in political life, and see whether or not this will negatively reflect on the elections, both in terms of the candidacies and the voting, especially since the international community is insisting on the organization of these elections on time to block the way before any lethal vacuum in the legislative estate, which would also affect the presidency of the republic.”
The news, which most websites and newspapers agreed fell in the context of Al-Hariri’s suspension of his political action, generated a wide controversy on social media in Lebanon. Here are two samples of the comments, one of which was by writer Pierre Abi-Saab (who hosts a show on Al-Mayadeen Channel generally considered opposed to US policy in Lebanon), and the second by former Deputy Fares Souaid, who is opposed to Iran and is generally considered to be supportive of US policy in Lebanon.
Abi-Saad commented on Asharq al-Awsat’s report about the delegation’s exploratory visit by saying it was “ordinary,” while Fares Souaid asked the US embassy to issue a clarification confirming its non-interference in electoral affairs, lest similar visits be undertaken with Lebanese candidates by Iran’s ambassador, as per Souaid.
The visit of the prominent American diplomatic delegation to Akkar was seen three days after Al-Hariri announced he will not run in the May 15 elections and that he was suspending activity by his Future Movement party. Therefore, we could say that what Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote about the electoral context of the visit is true, especially since both the pro and anti-American newspapers and websites in Lebanon seemed to have agreed on this point.
Moreover, the American Embassy in Beirut did not carry any denial of the reporting along these lines done by multiple Lebanese media outlets, although the Embassy typically publishes a denial or a piece of information to refute reports that it considers false.
When contacted for further elaboration, one US Embassy spokesperson simply said that the reported visit was a “routine visit, falling in the context of the standard work of diplomats.”
