A newly appointed U.S. envoy says she hopes Lebanese authorities are committed to making sure that the Hezbollah militant group is not a part of the new government in any form.

U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said she was "not afraid" of Iran-backed Hezbollah because it was defeated by Israel, stressing the group should not be part of the new Lebanese government.

Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed militia, has long been the country’s dominant political force and has formed part of the government for decades.

Morgan Ortagus reaffirmed the Trump administration position that Hezbollah cannot be part of the next Lebanese government, even as Beirut warned that this could create a parliamentarian crisis.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed a new cabinet made up of specialized and clean-handed ministers, ending past dominance by Hezbollah and its allies, with the mission of introducing needed reforms.

The leader of Lebanon's Shiite Muslim religious community shot back at US envoy Morgan Ortagus, who said on Friday that the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement should play no role in Lebanon's new government.

Morgan Ortagus is heading a delegation and set to arrive in Lebanon on Thursday night, the first such visit by Trump administration officials.