BEIRUT: A US diplomat apologized Thursday for using the word “animalistic” while calling for a gaggle of reporters to quiet down during a press conference in Lebanon earlier this week.
Tom Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Turkiye and envoy to Syria and has also been on a temporary assignment in Lebanon, said he didn’t intend to use the word “in a derogatory manner” but that his comments had been “inappropriate.”
Barrack visited Beirut along with a delegation of US officials on Tuesday to discuss efforts by the Lebanese government to disarm the Hezbollah militant group and implementation of the ceasefire agreement that ended the latest war between Israel and the Hezbollah in November.
At the start of a press conference at the presidential palace, journalists shouted at Barrack to move to the podium after he started speaking from another spot in the room. After taking the podium Barrack told the crowd of journalists to “act civilized, act kind, act tolerant.” He threatened to end the conference early otherwise.
“The moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone,” said Barrack.
