US envoy Morgan Ortagus trolls Hezbollah chief and Lebanese Druze leader on X

US deputy special envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has caused a stir online after she seemingly trolled Lebanese officials on her X account.

Ortagus has made two visits to Lebanon since being picked for the position by Donald Trump, and her discussions with Lebanese officials have focused mainly on implementing the ceasefire deal with Israel which ended last year’s war.

The deal includes fully disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which came out weakened as a result of the conflict.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said during a televised speech on Friday that his group will not disarm as long as Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon.

Resharing a post on X which included translated excerpts of Qassem’s speech, Ortagus wrote: "Yawn".

Hezbollah supporters attacked Ortagus, responding with images of coffins wrapped with American flags and the 1983 US embassy bombing in Beirut. However, some Lebanese opponents of Hezbollah responded positively.

Hezbollah's continued possession of weapons is a contentious issue in Lebanon. The group says they are  necessary to deter Israel but its opponents say that Hezbollah is unable in any case to defend itself or Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have repeatedly vowed to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and bring all arms in the country under state control.

A recent report by AFP said the Lebanese army and UNIFIL have dismantled most of Hezbollah’s military positions south of the Litani River, close to the border with Israel.

'Crack is whack'

Ortagus also took aim at Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt.

David Daoud, a researcher who focuses on Hezbollah and Lebanon, wrote in an X post some main points Jumblatt made during a recent interview with The New Arab's sister channel Al-Araby TV.

Jumblatt in the interview spoke of a new "Israeli era" in the Middle East, and says Hezbollah is militarily finished and that Iran’s regional influence through groups it has long backed, often referred to as the "Iranian crescent," has collapsed.

He also said Lebanon must rejected normalisation with Israel and instead only return to the 1949 armistice agreement. Jumblatt criticised Ortagus's calls to "excise" Hezbollah, saying such conditions were "impossible".

Many in Lebanon are concerned that any attempt to forcefully confiscate what remains of Hezbollah’s arms could lead to conflict, in a country that commemorated 50 years since the start of the 1975-1990 civil war a week ago.

Commenting underneath Daoud’s post of Jumblatt’s comments, Ortagus wrote: "Crack is whack, Walid".

Hundreds shared and responded to her comment. Many people attacked the envoy and said she lacked diplomacy.

Jumblatt later posted an image depicting two soldiers in combat, with one shown as a skeleton in military attire, and captioned it: "The ugly American #Morgan Ortagus" without tagging the envoy.

Ortagus' first visit to Lebanon in February was incredibly controversial, when she thanked Israel for defeating Hezbollah and said the militant group’s "reign of terror is over". Her comments were met with fierce backlash.