US envoy Tom Barrack slams Lebanon's 'inaction' on Hezbollah in rambling interview

Tom Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor, long-time Trump donor and now US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, has lashed out at Lebanon for failing to disarm Hezbollah, warning that the group had "zero" incentive to lay down its weapons while under constant Israeli fire.

Barrack, who rose from property magnate to political insider by raising millions for Donald Trump's campaigns before being rewarded with a diplomatic posting in 2025, gave a 23-minute interview to journalist Hadley Gamble in New York that ranged from Hezbollah and Gaza to Qatar, Iran and the future of Islam.

His remarks, at times blunt, contradictory and factually inaccurate, have already triggered backlash on social media, where many accused him of misrepresenting Lebanon's history and institutions. But they also revealed the Trump administration's growing frustration with Beirut, as well as its broader view of the Middle East as a region destined for endless conflict.

Lebanon 'only talks'

Barrack opened by venting at Lebanon's political leadership, accusing them of doing nothing while Hezbollah rebuilt after last year's war.

"I would say the Lebanese, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, all they do is talk," he said.

"We'll usher. We'll give our advice. We'll help, but they've got to solve it," he said. "The Lebanese government, if they want to get back on track, has to say 'We're going to disarm Hezbollah'."

Asked what incentive Hezbollah had to surrender weapons, Barrack replied: "Zero. This is the problem, especially when Israel is attacking everybody. So Israel is attacking Syria. Israel is attacking Lebanon. Israel is attacking Tunisia."

Hezbollah, he argued, could justify its arsenal to ordinary Lebanese by pointing to Israel's continued occupation of five hill positions in the south and its near-daily strikes in Lebanese territory.

Barrack said Washington was equipping Lebanon's army not to confront Israel, but to confront Hezbollah.

"Because who are they going to fight? We don't want to arm them… so they can fight Israel? I don't think so," he said.

"We need to cut the heads off of those snakes and chop the flow of funds. That's the only way you're going to stop Hezbollah," he added.

"You're not going to have LAF go knock on the door of a Shia house… and say, 'Excuse me, ma’am, can I go and take the rockets and the AK-47s out of your basement? And if not, I'm going to take you away at gunpoint'."

Israel will 'take care of Hezbollah'

Barrack, whose Lebanese Christian grandparents emigrated to the United States, repeatedly said the onus was on Beirut to confront Hezbollah but insisted Israel would ultimately do the fighting.

"You know who's going to execute? Walk across that border. Do you see where Jerusalem is? Jerusalem is going to take care of Hezbollah for you," he told Gamble.

He described Lebanon's armed forces as "well-meaning" but "not well-equipped", suggesting that Hezbollah fighters were better paid and better resourced than Lebanese soldiers, who he said often had to work side jobs as baristas, drivers or garbage collectors to survive.

"Hezbollah also runs the best municipalities. They have water, they have power, they have waste management, because Iran is funding that money. So if you want to get rid of Hezbollah, you choke Iran," he added.

Peace 'an illusion'

Turning to the broader region, Barrack dismissed the idea that the United States was working towards peace.

"When we say peace, it's an illusion. There’s never been peace. There will probably never be peace because everybody's fighting for legitimacy," he said.

He added that recognition of Palestinian statehood by countries such as the UK and France was "useless" and "didn't help".

"So people say, well, they're fighting over borders and boundaries. It's not what they're fighting over. A border or a boundary is the currency of a negotiation. The end result is somebody wants dominance, which means somebody has to submit," Barrack said, in comments that were criticised for cultural stereotyping.

Gaza ceasefire 'not going to work'

On Gaza, Barrack rejected calls for a ceasefire, days after Washington vetoed a UN resolution demanding a permanent halt to the war.

"I think there's been 27 ceasefires. None of them work. Ceasefire is not going to work," he said, though he did not clarify what the figure referred to.

Gaza's health ministry says at least 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023. Barrack acknowledged he "hated" what was happening "on all sides" but defended Israel as a valued ally receiving $4-5 billion annually in US subsidies.

"Personally, I hate what's happening in Gaza for the Palestinians, for the Israelis, for the Jordanians, for the Lebanese, for the Syrians, for the Turks. You know … it's a mess," he said.

Asked about discontent among Trump's political base over Israel’s conduct, Barrack pointed to the "7 October attacks" as the context that shaped American support.

Qatar strike and Hamas links

The envoy also weighed in on Israel's 9 September strike in Doha that killed Hamas officials, which had been condemned by Gulf leaders as a breach of sovereignty.

"It was not good. Qatar has been a great and valued ally to us since day one," Barrack said, claiming the Israelis "didn't tell" Washington in advance what they were planning.

He added that Qatar had hosted Hamas and Taliban officials "at our request" as part of backchannel diplomacy, directly contradicting a White House line that criticised Doha for harbouring "militants".

"They did it at our request. If we didn't have some conduit to be able to speak to them, we would never get there."

Muslims, demographics and Iran

In one of the interview's more contentious moments, Barrack claimed Muslim populations would swell to five billion by 2045, a projection far out of line with demographic estimates, and questioned why Arab states refused to take Palestinian refugees.

"Why won’t the Arabs take them? Why won't Egypt take them? Why won't Saudi Arabia take them? Why won't anybody take them? It's a real quandary," he said. When Gamble replied that Palestinians wanted to stay on their land, Barrack dismissed it as an endless cycle.

He ended by suggesting that a US or Israeli strike on Iran could not be ruled out.

"I wouldn't rule that out," he said, while praising Iranian people as "educated, thoughtful, civilised".