Social media users in Lebanon are expressing outrage over a tweet from the US embassy’s official account published on 24 August.

“Today, on Ukraine’s National Day, we stand at the US Embassy in Beirut in solidarity with the Ukrainian people who suffered six months of aggression by the Russian regime,” the tweet reads, alongside an image of the Lebanese flag next to a Ukrainian flag.

اليوم، في العيد الوطني لأوكرانيا، نقف في السفارة الأميركية في بيروت تضامنًا مع الشعب الأوكراني الذي عانى ستة أشهر من الاعتداء من قبل النظام الروسي. pic.twitter.com/bcECdoVdAN

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) August 24, 2022

A majority of commenters blasted the embassy for blatantly disrespecting Lebanon’s sovereignty by using a Lebanese flag in their post, essentially speaking on behalf of an entire nation.

“Who allowed you to [use] the Lebanese flag? Your opinion does not represent us,” one of the most liked comments reads.

“By what right does the US embassy place the Lebanese flag next to the Ukrainian [flag] for solidarity? Is this not a violation of Lebanese sovereignty?” another tweet asks in Arabic.

“The Lebanese flag is not yours to use for your political agenda! You are so disrespectful to our country and our autonomy!” another commenter decries.

The US Embassy tweet is the most recent example of Washington’s attempts to frame the Lebanese state’s opinions in the promotion of its various geopolitical agendas – in this case, Ukraine.

At the onset of the war in February, US ambassador Dorothy Shea directly requested that Prime Minister Najib Mikati release a statement condemning Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, which he faithfully executed.

Reactions to Mikati’s statement were swift to arrive, with everyone from the country’s president to cabinet members and members of parliament heavily criticizing the flagrant violation of Lebanon’s policy of disassociation and neutrality.

US embassy blames Russia for Lebanon’s woes

Wednesday’s ill-conceived tweet from the US embassy is the first in a short thread that claims Lebanon is “increasingly food insecure due to the [Russian] invasion.”

ليست الحرب التي تختارها روسيا في أوكرانيا مجرد أزمة أوروبية. الملايين حول العالم – بما في ذلك الشعب اللبناني – يعانون من انعدام الأمن الغذائي المتزايد بسبب الغزو.https://t.co/QJx7SNILwf

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) August 24, 2022

This, however, ignores the wide ranging effects that US sanctions on Syria have had on the Lebanese economy since 2019. Syria represents Lebanon’s only land border, and Washington has prohibited – under threat of sanctions – the transport of goods over this vital border.

It also ignores a recent blackmail attempt by the Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon over a cargo ship that was carrying thousands of tons of Russian grain to Syria, and whose owners decided to unload some of the cargo in Lebanon.

The Ukrainian embassy accused the Syrian vessel of carrying “stolen grain” from Ukraine, and demanded Beirut impound the ship after it docked in Tripoli and pay Kiev for the grain.

Lebanese customs authorities quickly confirmed the grain originated in Russia and released the ship.

The US embassy’s twitter thread also hailed a recent $29.5 million donation in “food assistance from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).”

بصفتها الشريك الحقيقي للبنان، تتخذ الولايات المتحدة خطوات لمساعدة الشعب اللبناني، كان آخرها من خلال تقديم 29.5 مليون دولار إضافية كمساعدات غذائية من الوكالة الأميركية للتنمية الدولية. pic.twitter.com/aX8olLJetf

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) August 24, 2022

Washington’s paltry donation was a public relations show made to counter an offers of free fuel from Iran and hundreds of thousands of tons of wheat from Russia.

At the time, the US embassy warned Lebanese officials against accepting these offers from Washington’s adversaries, despite Beirut’s desperate need for food and fuel.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been experiencing the complete collapse of its economy, as the currency lost over 90 percent of its value and 80 percent of citizens plunged below the poverty line. The country’s energy sector has also been destroyed by decades of mismanagement, while fuel and bread shortages are a common occurrence.

Many commenters in the US embassy’s post also reminded the US of its empty promise to implement an energy sharing deal with Egypt and Jordan via Syria.

“We also remember every day the siege that you imposed on us and our peoples, and on this day we commemorate the anniversary of your promise to help in importing gas and electricity from Jordan and Egypt,” prominent Lebanese journalist Hosein Mortada highlighted.

ونتذكر كذلك في كل يوم الحصار الذي تمارسوه علينا وعل شعوبنا ، وكذلك في مثل هذا اليوم نُحيي الذكرى السنوية لوعدكم بالمساعدة في استجرار الغاز والكهرباء من الاردن ومصر، https://t.co/apK5nKrxwy

— حسين مرتضى hoseinmortada (@HoseinMortada) August 25, 2022

The US embassy in Lebanon has long been accused of interfering in the country’s affairs, not only by monitoring and impeding Beirut’s foreign relationships, but also by plotting to persecute resistance groups and shielding corrupt Lebanese authorities from the law.