Right, so Israel has got itself a shiny new Lebanon deal.

A ceasefire deal. A de-escalation deal. A Washington-backed framework, which means they don’t need to cease firing at all. Very serious people have apparently been very seriously working on this, which is always comforting, isn't it? Nothing says peace quite like a conference table full of people who won't be anywhere near the blast radius.

But then of course this is what south Lebanon actually gets out of this isn’t it?

Diplomatic breakthrough? Don't make me laugh. That is what a peace framework looks like when it hits the ground face-first.

So before anyone starts wafting the word "calm" around like air freshener in a burning kitchen, let's be clear what this story actually is. Israel has a deal it wants to sell as security. Washington has a framework it wants to  ...