Lebanon declares Iranian ambassador persona non grata amid Israeli attacks
Lebanon has withdrawn accreditation from the Iranian ambassador and declared him persona non grata, demanding his departure from Lebanon by Sunday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. The ministry also summoned the Lebanese ambassador to Iran for consultations, citing what it described as Tehran's violation of diplomatic norms and established practices between the two countries.
The decision comes as the Israeli army continues to attack Lebanon with air strikes and pushes forward with a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, in response to the US-Israel killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Lebanese authorities say at least 1,039 people have since been killed and 2,876 injured in Israeli attacks. More than 1.5 million Lebanese people have been displaced as Israel has ordered people to evacuate from the country's southern region. Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr said on Tuesday that at least three people were killed in targeted assassinations overnight in Beirut.
The Israeli military said it targeted members of the Quds Force, the foreign unit of Iran's IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]. Iran acknowledged that four Iranians were killed in a targeted strike at a hotel in the early days of the conflict, but said they were civilians. The latest Israeli war comes as many of the more than one million people displaced during the 2023-24 war are not able to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory, and continue attacks that have killed hundreds.
Quick Summary
Lebanon is embroiled in escalating tensions involving Iran and Israel. The Lebanese government has taken a drastic diplomatic step- but what prompted this?
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