Beyrouth has given Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani until Sunday to leave the country, after accusing Iran of directing Hezbollah’s operations against Israel from Lebanese soil.
Lebanon took a major diplomatic step on Tuesday by withdrawing the accreditation of the newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, and ordering him to leave the country before Sunday.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to officially notify him of the decision to declare the ambassador persona non grata. Sheibani, who only took office in February, will not have had the opportunity to fully carry out his mission.
This unprecedented decision in Lebanese-Iranian relations follows Beirut’s accusation that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are directing Hezbollah’s military operations against Israel from Lebanese soil. In response, the Lebanese government announced a ban on any activities by the Revolutionary Guards on its territory.
This rupture marks a significant turning point in Lebanon’s traditionally cautious stance towards Tehran and reflects the increasing pressure on Beirut to disassociate its foreign policy from Iranian interests in the context of a regional conflict with devastating humanitarian consequences for the Cedar country.
