From April 18 to 24, ATFL President Edward Gabriel traveled to Beirut for a series of high-level meetings with senior Lebanese leaders, security officials, and US counterparts amid escalating regional tensions and a deepening humanitarian crisis. While ATFL typically conducts scheduled delegations throughout the year, the severity of recent developments called for immediate, on-the-ground engagement.
Taking place alongside the first Lebanon-Israel talks in decades, the visit focused on three urgent priorities: advancing US-led diplomacy, reinforcing Lebanese state sovereignty, and mobilizing support for institutional reform and economic recovery. Throughout his engagements, Ambassador Gabriel underscored ATFL’s core message: sustained international engagement, paired with credible internal reform, remains the only viable path to long-term stability and security in Lebanon.
At the heart of the visit was a push to consolidate momentum behind the Lebanon-Israel negotiations. In meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Ambassador Gabriel stressed that only a strengthened state, backed by credible institutions and a clear diplomatic strategy, can translate talks into durable stability. He also met with US Ambassador Michel Issa, highlighting the importance of sustained US leadership in anchoring the process. In parallel discussions with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri, he underscored the urgency of coordinated international engagement to drive de-escalation, reinforce the state, and unlock economic recovery.
Security and sovereignty were central to the visit. In meetings with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Rodolph Haykal and Director General of State Security Edgard Lawandos, Ambassador Gabriel reaffirmed longstanding US support for Lebanon’s security institutions, while emphasizing that lasting stability depends on strengthening the state’s authority as the sole guarantor of security—through securing borders, reinforcing institutional capacity, and preserving internal cohesion during a period of acute volatility.
Additional engagements with political leaders across the spectrum highlighted broad support for the negotiation process, the need for full Israeli withdrawal, and the importance of internal consensus and reform to sustain progress.
Ambassador Gabriel concluded the visit with a sense of cautious optimism: Lebanon faces a narrow but critical window to advance diplomacy and stabilization. ATFL is now actively engaging US policymakers and stakeholders in Washington to build on this momentum and support a sovereign, secure, and economically viable Lebanon.