Iran's newly appointed ambassador in Lebanon is “alive and kicking” in Beirut despite being ordered by the Foreign Ministry to leave the country by Sunday.
That was according to a Hezbollah official who spoke to The National on Monday morning.
Last week, Lebanon's Foreign Ministry declared ambassador-designate Mohammad Reza Sheibani persona non grata and withdrew its approval of his nomination.
Iran is adamant that its nominee will remain. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, in remarks reported by Fars news agency, said: "Following discussions with the relevant Lebanese parties and the conclusions drawn, the Iranian ambassador will continue his duties as ambassador in Beirut and remains in post."
The diplomatic incident exposed the sharp political divisions within Lebanon over the war between Israel and Iran, and Hezbollah's involvement.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, entrenched in repelling Israel's latest invasion and destruction of Lebanon, has sharply criticised the decision. It described it as “purely political and vindictive”.
Hezbollah-backed protests had been scheduled to take place in support of the ambassador near to the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday, but were cancelled as Israel attacked the city.
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi is one of the cabinet's most vocal opponents of Hezbollah and was nominated to the position by the Christian-led Lebanese Forces – ardent critics of Hezbollah in parliament.
“He will be breaking the law, a refugee in his own embassy,” Lebanon's former deputy prime minister Ghassan Hasbani – a senior LF official – told The National when asked what it would mean if the ambassador-designate did not leave Beirut.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said that Hezbollah’s military operations in the current war with Israel are being directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The government condemned the move to open a new front in south Lebanon against Israel, saying that Hezbollah – the Lebanese armed group and political party – had dragged the country into a conflict that is not its own and was “imposed from the outside”.
