Israeli FM says Lebanon under Iran's controls

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has said that the Iranian ambassador continues to reside in Beirut after Lebanon’s deadline for declaring him persona non grata expired, and that the country is effectively under Iranian control, Caliber.Az cites the minister's post on X.

“Last week, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally declared the Iranian ambassador ‘persona non grata’ and set a deadline for his expulsion. That deadline expired yesterday, March 29. This morning, the Iranian ambassador is drinking coffee in Beirut, mocking the host country. Ministers from Hezbollah also remain in their government positions. Lebanon is actually a country occupied by Iran—an open occupation that almost no one speaks about," the Israeli minister wrote. 

בשבוע שעבר הכריז חגיגית משרד החוץ הלבנוני על שגריר איראן כ״פרסונה נון גרטה״ והקציב זמן לגירושו. זמן זה חלף אתמול ב-29/3.
הבוקר השגריר האיראני שותה את הקפה שלו בביירות ועושה צחוק מה״מדינה״ המארחת. גם שרי חיזבאללה עדיין מכהנים בממשלת לבנון.

לבנון היא מדינה וירטואלית שכבושה למעשה… pic.twitter.com/ZHze0cQXKO

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 30, 2026

"Since March 2, when Hezbollah launched attacks in violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, 5,000 rockets, shells, and drones have been fired at Israel from Lebanese territory. A significant portion of these were launched from south of the Litani River—a region the Lebanese army declared under its ‘operational control’ in early January. Lebanon will not regain its freedom until a decision is made in Beirut to resist the Iranian occupation and its proxy, Hezbollah,” Sa’ar said.