Lebanon Expels Iranian Ambassador, Deepening Rift With Tehran

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry withdrew the diplomatic accreditation of Iran's designated ambassador to Beirut on Tuesday, declaring Mohammad Reza Sheibani persona non grata and giving him until Sunday, March 29, to leave the country, in one of the sharpest breaks between the two governments in decades.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi confirmed he had "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."

Sheibani was only appointed to the role in February and had not yet presented his credentials, though he had served in the same role in the 2000s. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry also recalled its own ambassador to Iran for consultations, citing what it described as Tehran's violation of diplomatic norms and established practices between the two countries.

The expulsion did not occur in isolation. It is the latest in a series of Lebanese government actions against the Iranian regime; Beirut has reimposed a visa requirement on Iranian travelers and decided this month that any individual identified as having ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would be expelled from Lebanese territory. On March 12, Raggi had already summoned Sheibani after Iran's IRGC announced a joint operation with Hezbollah against Israel.

Hezbollah called the decision a "sin" and demanded the authorities "immediately reverse" the move. The group condemned the decision as "reckless and reprehensible," stating: "We categorically reject the decision issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar took the opposite view, welcoming the expulsion as "a justified and necessary step" against Iran's influence in Lebanon, accusing Tehran of violating Lebanese sovereignty through its support for Hezbollah, and urging Beirut to take further action against the group, noting that Hezbollah's representatives continue to hold positions in Lebanon's political system.

The move is the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries, which have worsened since Iranian-backed Hezbollah launched its attack against Israel in support of Tehran earlier this month. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the IRGC is directing Hezbollah's operations in its war with Israel, and referenced a March 2 drone attack on a British base in Cyprus suspected to have been carried out by Hezbollah from Lebanon, saying it was carried out by the IRGC, "which is present and, unfortunately, is managing the military operation in Lebanon."

Also on Tuesday, an Iranian ballistic missile was intercepted over Lebanon in what three Lebanese security sources described as a first; two of the sources said the interception was carried out by a "foreign naval vessel," apparently referring to the United States, and fragments from the interception struck towns north of Beirut, causing light injuries.

A poll conducted in January 2026 by the Council for a Secure America found that 73% of Lebanese strongly or somewhat support the president's efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while only 9% said they strongly or somewhat oppose the process. That domestic backdrop has emboldened the Lebanese government to take increasingly confrontational positions toward Tehran, but with Hezbollah still embedded in the country's political institutions, Tuesday's expulsion is as much a declaration of intent as it is a diplomatic fait accompli.