US diplomat Tom Barrack apologises for using word 'animalistic' to describe reporters in Lebanon

The US ambassador to Turkey has apologised for warning journalists at a press conference in Lebanon not to be "animalistic", following a major backlash over his choice of language.

During a visit to Beirut on Tuesday, Tom Barrack, who also serves as Washington's envoy to Syria, caused a furore when he tried to quieten down reporters in the Lebanese presidential palace.

At the start of an event to discuss the Lebanese government's potential disarmament of the armed group Hezbollah, Barrack told the crowd of journalists to "act civilised, act kind, act tolerant".

Reporters had been urging him to move to the podium after he started speaking from another part of the room.

"The moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone," Barrack said in response.

The remark prompted outrage, with the Lebanese press syndicate demanding an apology. If none was forthcoming, they called for a boycott of Barrack's visits.

The presidential palace issued a statement expressing regret over the comments of "one of our guests". It added its thanks to journalists for their "hard work."

In an interview published on Thursday with the media personality Mario Nawful, Barrack apologised for the incident, saying he didn’t intend to use the word "in a derogatory manner".

He admitted that his language had been "inappropriate".

"I should have been more generous with my time and more tolerant myself," the US ambassador said.

Barrack's visit came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that the disarmament of Hezbollah could lead to his country's forces beginning their withdrawal from territory they hold in southern Lebanon.

It remains unclear how this will work in practice, as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said earlier this month that the group would not surrender their arms.

The Israeli army launched air strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it had targeted "terrorist infrastructure and a rocket platform" belonging to Hezbollah.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah technically went into effect in November to stop the latest war between the pair.