BEIRUT — Let’s try, for a moment, to imagine a Lebanon where words mean what they say. In that alternate universe, “neutrality” would imply rejecting foreign meddling of any kind, “interference” would refer to bombing residential areas, and “sovereignty” might include the radical notion of objecting to drones overhead.

In the real-world dictionary of Lebanese diplomacy, however, “neutral” now means sitting politely while Washington scolds you about Iranian influence, then looking away when the Israeli enemy drops explosives on your territory “by mistake.”

When President Trump's Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East asked Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji if he would visit Iran, he proudly replied that he is open to “all states except those that interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”

Wonderful. Does this mean Washington magically does not interfere in Lebanon — or has its interference simply been upgraded to a sovereign right?
The remarkable part is that Raji appears unbothered by the Israeli occupation regime’s ongoing airstrikes, assassinations, and daily violations of national borders — because apparently, if the bombs aren’t signed by an Iranian minister, they don’t count as “interference.”

Months ago, Ortagus even summoned Raji to the U.S. embassy, shredding diplomatic protocol — a reminder that in this relationship, Washington sits at the head of the table and Beirut is expected to nod, listen, and take notes.

Nothing screams “non-interference” like being ordered to report for instructions in someone else’s capital inside your own capital.

Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack assures us, very compassionately, that the Lebanese Army would never use “lethal force” to disarm “a large segment of Lebanese society.”

Translation: Washington understands that Hezbollah is not simply a political faction with weapons, but a deeply rooted social force — and forcing a confrontation would ignite civil conflict.

Such beautiful concern for Lebanese unity — until you remember that the occupation prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is simultaneously promising a crushing military campaign against Lebanon.

Are the Americans and Israelis at odds? Only if you believe stage theater is real.

Washington isn’t averting civil war — it’s keeping that chaos in reserve as a bargaining chip, while the Israeli occupation regime presides over the bloodshed.
The formula is simple: Washington applies sanctions, pressure, and diplomatic leverage. The Israeli enemy supplies air power, makes intimidation and threats. Different tools, same policy.

Let’s retire the polite illusions. The U.S. is not trying to prevent bloodshed — it is trying to outsource it. The goal is straightforward: weaken Lebanon, fracture its resolve, and push it to negotiate from a position of fear.

The only real obstacle in this entire geopolitical script: Resistance capability, deterrence, and clarity of vision. Without that, “neutrality” would already be enforced with fire and steel, and lectures on sovereignty would arrive at 30,000 feet from F-35 cockpits.
In Lebanon’s political glossary, “neutrality” has been redesigned to mean obedience. And every time officials pretend otherwise, the sarcasm writes itself.