Trump envoy Tom Barrack says Israel ‘occupies’ Golan, contradicting US policy
Barrack also says Iran and Hezbollah must be involved in any Lebanon settlement, suggests Israel sought to bait Turkey before election
US Ambassador to Turkey and special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack said Friday that Israel “occupies” the Golan Heights and that the territory belongs to Syria, directly contradicting the Trump administration’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau.
“They still occupy the Golan against the UN resolutions, against all of the international order, which has said the Golan is Syria’s,” Barrack told Lebanese-Australian X personality Mario Nawfal.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and effectively annexed it in 1981. In March 2019, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing the territory as part of Israel, a position that remains official US policy.
Barrack argued in the same interview that any serious settlement in Lebanon would require the involvement of Iran and Hezbollah, rather than negotiations with the Lebanese government and other domestic factions alone.
“How is it going to go away if you don’t have Hezbollah and Iran involved?” Barrack asked, describing Lebanon as entangled in the wider confrontation between Iran and Israel.
The remarks came one day after the US Treasury re-designated Hezbollah for acting under the control or direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, citing Tehran’s coordination of the group’s attacks and deep involvement in its political decision-making. Washington has designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organization since 1997.
Barrack also floated the possibility that Israel struck Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase this week in an effort to provoke a Turkish military response that could benefit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu domestically ahead of Israel’s October election.
“One theory is they simply tried to bait Turkey,” he said. “It’s a very aggressive move, but one that might play well going into elections.”
As an alternative explanation, Barrack suggested the strike may have resulted from a breakdown in communication among Israel’s political leadership, Mossad and the military. He said US intelligence had examined and rejected Israel’s claim that Turkish forces were preparing to deploy at the Syrian base.
Barrack portrayed Ankara as a restrained actor with no interest in confronting Israel, describing its leadership as “not predatory.” He also hailed Turkey’s emergence as a more powerful regional hub as “a great thing.”