Tel Aviv [Israel], March 30 (ANI): Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday sharply criticised Lebanon, saying it is effectively under Iranian control and failing to act against Hezbollah’s influence.
Sa’ar posted on X that last week the Lebanese Foreign Ministry declared Iran’s ambassador a “persona non grata” and set a deadline for his expulsion that expired on March 29. He wrote that the ambassador remained in Beirut after the deadline, “sipping his coffee in Beirut, mocking the host ‘country,'” and noted that Hezbollah ministers continue to serve in the Lebanese government.
He called Lebanon “a virtual state that is, in practice, occupied by Iran,” describing it as a “visible occupation that hardly anyone speaks about.”
Sa’ar also accused Hezbollah of sustained attacks on Israel in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire, saying “5,000 missiles, rockets, and drones have been fired at Israel from Lebanese territory since March 2nd, when Hezbollah launched its attack in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire.” He said many projectiles were launched from areas south of the Litani River, which the Lebanese army had earlier declared under its “operational control.”
He urged decisive action from Lebanese authorities, saying the country “will not regain its freedom until a decision is made in Beirut to confront the Iranian occupation and its proxy – Hezbollah.”
Earlier, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi announced the government had withdrawn the agrement for Iranian ambassador-designate Mohammad Reza Shibani, declared him “persona non grata” and ordered him to leave by March 29. Raggi said he instructed the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants to summon the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in Beirut to convey the decision.
Sa’ar welcomed the move as “justified” and urged the Lebanese government to take further measures against what he called Iran’s “indirect occupation through Hezbollah”. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
