Lebanon Withdraws Accreditation from Iranian Ambassador and Gives Him Until Sunday to Leave the Country

SadaNews - The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, Tuesday, that it has informed the newly appointed Iranian ambassador in Beirut of the withdrawal of approval for his accreditation and has requested his departure by next Sunday at the latest, following accusations from Lebanese officials that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps manages Hezbollah's operations in the war with Israel.

The ministry stated in a statement that it summoned the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in Lebanon, Tawfiq Samadi Khushkhu, and informed him of "the decision of the Lebanese state to withdraw approval for the accreditation of the newly appointed Iranian ambassador, Muhammad Reza Sheybani, and to declare him a persona non grata, with a request to leave Lebanese territory by next Sunday at the latest."

It added that it summoned Lebanon's ambassador to Iran, Ahmad Suwaydan, for consultations following what it referred to as "Iran's violation of diplomatic norms and protocols between the two countries," which is a step following the government's decision, after the outbreak of the war, to prohibit any potential security or military activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the country.

On March 13 of this month, the ministry summoned the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires and demanded written answers to several questions related to his country's actions in Lebanon.

During the summons, Issa referred to "a series of examples that prove Iran's disrespect for the decisions of the Lebanese government, the latest being the statement issued by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard regarding joint operations with Hezbollah," demanding "official and written responses to all raised questions."

He stressed that "relations with Tehran must be based on equality, reciprocity, and respect for the principle of non-interference in the affairs of other countries."

On the 15th of this month, Israel carried out a raid on an apartment inside the "Ramada" hotel in downtown Beirut, resulting in the deaths of 4 people and injuries to 10 others. At that time, Tel Aviv stated that the strike targeted "a secret meeting of Iranian leaders or elements connected to the Revolutionary Guard."

Two days later, the Iranian representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, announced that the victims were diplomats temporarily residing in the hotel due to security threats, and their presence was known to the Lebanese authorities, which the latter denied.

Israel has been conducting aggression against Lebanon since March 2 of this month, following "Hezbollah's" attack on Israeli military sites in response to ongoing Israeli assaults on Lebanon since November 2024 and the assassination of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

Israeli airstrikes have targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon.

A limited ground incursion into the south also began on March 3, following the start of a joint aggression with the United States against Iran on February 28 of last month.