Trump envoy Tom Barrack says Israel ‘occupies’ Golan, contradicting US policy

Tom Barrack, the US special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, stated in an interview with media personality Mario Nawfal that Israel occupies the Golan Heights in defiance of UN resolutions and the international order. This assertion directly contradicts the official US policy established in March 2019, when President Donald Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the plateau. Barrack further argued that any viable settlement in Lebanon would require the involvement of Iran and Hezbollah, rather than relying solely on negotiations with the Lebanese government. These remarks followed the US Treasury’s re-designation of Hezbollah for its operations under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. Additionally, Barrack suggested that a recent Israeli strike on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase might have been an attempt to provoke Turkey for domestic political gain ahead of Israel’s elections. He also proposed that the strike could have resulted from a breakdown in communication between Israel’s political leadership, the Mossad, and the military, noting that US intelligence had rejected Israel’s claim that Turkish forces were preparing to deploy at the base.