U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’ visit to Beirut has sparked speculation about Washington’s next steps amid growing regional tensions, with political sources telling MTV that her trip “is definitely not routine.”

According to the sources, Ortagus “is definitely carrying something with her,” otherwise she would have limited her visit to attending the meetings of the Mechanism committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire, as she did during her previous two visits. The sources described the situation as “murky,” particularly amid increasing talk of an Israeli escalation against Lebanon.

American sources directly involved in the ongoing negotiations told MTV that Ortagus will focus her talks in Beirut on the need to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities or rearming, adding that newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa will take over follow-up on the matter once he formally assumes his duties.

The sources denied any suggestion that war is imminent, calling such claims “fabricated and baseless.” 

The sources also dismissed reports that Israel had rejected a proposal from the Lebanese president to launch negotiations under joint U.S. and U.N. mediation, just as it did during the maritime border talks.