Lebanon has withdrawn accreditation from the Iranian ambassador and declared him persona non grata, demanding his departure from Lebanon by Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the ministry summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Beirut, Tofiq Samadi Khoshkhoo, to inform him of the decision and requested that the ambassador depart Lebanese territory by next Sunday.
The ministry also said it had recalled Lebanon’s ambassador to Iran, Ahmad Sweidan, for consultations, citing what it described as violations of diplomatic norms and established practices between the two countries.
The decision comes as the Israeli army continues to attack Lebanon with air strikes and pushes forward with a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, in response to the US-Israel killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Lebanese authorities say at least 1,039 people have since been killed and 2,876 injured in Israeli attacks.
More than 1.5 million Lebanese people have been displaced as Israel has ordered people to evacuate from the country’s southern region.
Earlier this month, the Lebanese government approved measures aimed at strengthening state sovereignty and placing all weapons under state control, including banning military or security activity by Hezbollah militia and requiring the group to hand over its weapons.
The developments come amid heightened tensions in Lebanon following exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, resulting in casualties.
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