Lebanon Declares Iran's Ambassador Persona Non Grata, Orders Him Out by Sunday

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced today (Tuesday) that Iran’s ambassador in Beirut is no longer welcome in the country, designating him "persona non grata"—an unwelcome person. Under the decision, the ambassador must leave Lebanese territory within a few days, no later than this coming Sunday.

According to a report on the Saudi channel "Al-Hadath," the Amal Movement and Hezbollah approached the Iranian ambassador and advised him not to comply with the Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s order to leave the country. That came after he sought their intervention in an attempt to derail the decision.

The expulsion move was finalized after the director general of Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry, Abd al-Sattar Issa, summoned the Iranian embassy’s chargé d’affaires in Beirut, Tawfiq Samadi Khoshko. At the meeting, the official notice was delivered revoking the credentials of the designated ambassador, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, along with the demand that he leave the country within the stated timeline.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to the decision: I welcome the Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s decision to expel the incoming Iranian ambassador from Lebanon. This is a justified and necessary step against the state responsible for violating Lebanon’s sovereignty, for its indirect occupation through Hezbollah, and for dragging it into war. We call on the Lebanese government to take practical and significant steps against Hezbollah, whose ministers still serve within it.

The Lebanese government’s decision fits into a series of other steps Lebanon has taken recently, after Hezbollah joined the fighting. Among other measures, the government canceled visa-free entry for Iranian citizens and announced a ban on activities by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel on Lebanese soil.

It was also decided to implement the government’s decision to outlaw Hezbollah’s military activity. Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, criticized the organization and clarified that its actions run contrary to the state’s official policy.

In his words, "Lebanon condemns the rocket fire for which Hezbollah has claimed responsibility; it runs counter to the principle that decisions of war and peace are reserved to the Lebanese state, and to the opposition to dragging Lebanon into the current regional war. The launch also defies the government’s decisions and the will of most Lebanese".