US ambassador Lisa Johnson bids farewell to Beirut as Lebanese-American 'warrior' Michel Issa set to replace her

US Ambassador Lisa Johnson is making farewell visits to Lebanese officials as her diplomatic posting in Beirut comes to an end, with Washington expected to send Michel Issa as her successor.

Issa, a Lebanese-American businessman, was nominated by President Donald Trump in March, who described him as a "warrior". His appointment still requires final approval by the US Congress, though diplomatic sources told The New Arab that his arrival was expected before the end of the year. Johnson is due to leave Lebanon within weeks.

On Friday, Johnson held a series of farewell meetings in Beirut, including a meeting with Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, during which she also touched on the latest political and regional developments.

She began her term in January 2024, after the US Senate confirmed her appointment the previous month. Between 2018 and 2021, she served as US ambassador to Namibia.

Her tenure in Lebanon coincided with a long presidential vacuum that ended in January when army chief Joseph Aoun was elected president.

She later presented her credentials in February. Johnson also oversaw key US diplomatic efforts in Lebanon, including the ceasefire agreement that came into force on 27 November last year and the follow-up missions led by US presidential envoys Morgan Ortagus and Thomas Barrack.

Unlike her predecessor, Dorothy Shea, who frequently spoke out against Hezbollah in the media, Johnson kept a low profile and was sparing in her public comments.

She drew attention recently after tattooing the word "Lebanon" on her arm, a gesture some saw as heartfelt while others dismissed as political theatrics.

Who is Michel Issa?

Issa's expected arrival is being closely watched, given Washington's pressure on Beirut to implement the so-called Barrack Plan, which includes the Lebanese army's roadmap for disarmament of Hezbollah. His role is also likely to extend to reconstruction and economic reform demands.

Trump, announcing Issa's nomination in March, praised him as "an outstanding businessman, financial expert and leader with a distinguished career in banking, entrepreneurship and international trade… a warrior with deep personal ties to Lebanon".

Issa was born in Bsous, a village in Lebanon's Aley district, and spent part of his childhood in Beirut before moving to Paris and later New York, where he now lives.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he studied economics at Paris Nanterre University and worked at Arab and French banks, Chase Manhattan and Crédit Agricole. In 1999, he left banking to run luxury car dealerships, before later moving into investment and corporate restructuring.

In July, he told a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that disarming Hezbollah was "not a choice but a necessity", arguing the group and its Iranian backers undermine Lebanon's sovereignty and economy. He called for border demarcation, "realistic normalisation" with Israel and stronger state authority in the south.

He pledged to work with international partners to strengthen financial accountability and support Lebanon's long-term recovery. He also said he had voluntarily renounced his Lebanese citizenship to prove his exclusive loyalty to the United States.