SHOTLIST

BEIRUT, LEBANON (AUGUST 26, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL)

1. US SPEACIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA TOM BARRACK IN PRESS CONFERENCE STANDING AND SAYING “Wait, wait let’s have one rule, let’s have on rule. OK? You just have almost… “
2. BARRACK WALKING TO PODIUM
3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) US ENVOY TOM BARRACK SAYING:

“Ok, wait, wait, wait… We’re going to have diffrent set of rules, right? You want… Please be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell you something. The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region.”

BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 26: Comments made by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack to Lebanese journalists during a press conference in Beirut have triggered a wave of criticism and accusations of racism, leading to demands for an official apology.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the Baabda Presidential Palace, where Barrack was holding a briefing alongside US Deputy Envoy Morgan Ortagus. The envoys were in Lebanon as part of US efforts concerning the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

During the event, as reporters called out questions simultaneously—a common practice in press conferences worldwide—Barrack reprimanded them, telling them to “act civilized.”

“Please, be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell you something. The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he told the reporters.

Barrack further questioned, “Do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan (Ortagus) and I to be here putting up with this insanity?”

Barrack, who is of Lebanese descent and serves as both the US Special Envoy to Syria and the US Ambassador to Türkiye, faced immediate backlash on social media.

Lebanese-British journalist Hala Jaber described the comments on US social media company X (formerly Twitter) as arrogant and racist, comparing Barrack's demeanor to a "19th-century colonial commissioner." Another journalist, Ali Hashem, called the remarks “humiliating.”

The primary professional body, the Lebanese Journalists' Syndicate, issued a formal statement of condemnation, carried by Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA).

The syndicate expressed its strong disapproval of Barrack's words, stating that he had "insulted the journalists." It demanded a "clear and public apology" from the envoy, warning that he would be "boycotted" by the media community if he failed to do so.

In a separate statement also reported by NNA, the office of Information Minister Paul Markus, who is currently abroad, said the minister received Barrack's remarks "with regret." The ministry's statement emphasized that it attaches the "utmost importance to the dignity and status of every journalist."

The US Embassy in Beirut has not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.

Writing by Sibel Uygun