The beauty queen who became Trump’s deputy envoy to the Middle East

In light of the rapid developments in the Middle East and before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to the United States on Sunday to meet with Donald Trump, Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, traveled to Tel Aviv. According to published reports, Ortagus plans to head to Lebanon after visiting Israel to conduct discussions between the two countries which have reached a fragile ceasefire.

Details of Ortagus’s negotiations with Israeli representatives and then Lebanese ones have not been disclosed, but experts believe she will focus on two key issues: Israel’s intent to maintain control over five areas in southern Lebanon and the fate of Hezbollah members held captive by Israel. It is anticipated that the talks by the U.S. representative will be held both in bilateral meetings between officials of Israel and Lebanon and during the session of the committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement mechanism. Previously, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had prepared a plan to address the continued Israeli presence in certain areas; however, he stated he would withhold details until meeting with Ortagus.

February 4, 2025 | 5:05 am