‘Persona non grata’: Lebanon boots Iran’s ambassador after proxy Hezbollah drew country into war

Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani (left), shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on February 25, 2026. (Iranian embassy in Beirut)
Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani (left), shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on February 25, 2026. (Iranian embassy in Beirut)

Lebanon has declared Iran’s ambassador to the country persona non grata and instructed him to leave the country by Sunday, amid the regional war.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi writes on X: “I instructed today the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants to summon the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires in Lebanon to inform him of the decision to withdraw the agrément for the designated Iranian Ambassador, Mohammad Reza Shibani, declare him persona non grata, and request that he leave Lebanese territory no later than 29 March 2026.”

The ministry also summons the Lebanese ambassador to Iran back for consultations, citing what it describes as Tehran’s violation of diplomatic norms and established practices between the two countries.

Lebanon has been drawn into the war by Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which has refused the government’s demands to disarm and continued to attack Israel, leading to an intense Israeli bombing campaign and ground operations in southern Lebanon, and the displacement of over a million people.

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