The Lebanese government declared Iran’s ambassador persona non grata on Tuesday, an unprecedented move showcasing how much Tehran’s influence has declined in its most important foreign investment.
Iran has exerted unparalleled influence in Lebanon since the 1980s, with its proxy Hezbollah de facto running the country. The group’s hold on Lebanon’s leadership loosened in 2024 when senior leadership officials were assassinated by Israel, and thousands of its members were killed through a rigged pager and walkie-talkie attack. Israel and the United States have sought to take advantage of this weakness, scoring a major victory on Tuesday when Beirut expelled Iranian ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani, a move unthinkable as recently as just two years ago.
“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,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said in a post on X.
Raggi had previously summoned Shibani on March 12 to convey Beirut’s displeasure at any Iranian interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.
Shibani was only appointed ambassador to Lebanon earlier this year, taking over from the eventful tenure of Mojtaba Amani, who was seriously injured in the September 2024 pager attack.
Lebanon also summoned its ambassador to Iran for consultations.
Hezbollah joined the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in its opening days, but hasn’t fared well. The group has inflicted minimal casualties on Israel while getting battered by Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military invaded Lebanon last week to establish a buffer zone, which has displaced hundreds of thousands. The instability and destruction from the war, and Hezbollah’s inability to repel the Israeli military, have increasingly hurt its reputation and intensified efforts from the Lebanese government to disarm and neuter the group.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the masses of mostly Shia residents of southern Lebanon could be displaced for an indefinite period.
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“Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated north will not return south of the Litani River until security is guaranteed for the residents of the North,” he said, referring to northern Israel. Hezbollah’s main threat to Israel has been its short-range missiles, wreaking havoc and displacing residents in the north of the country.
“All five bridges over the Litani that were used by Hezbollah for the passage of terrorists and weapons have been blown up, and the IDF will control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani,” Katz added.
