Lebanon has given Iran's ambassador, Mohammad Reza Shibani, until Sunday, March 29, to leave Lebanese territory. [1] The order, declaring Shibani persona non grata, is the result of a March 25 cabinet decision in Beirut. [2] The action is not without precedent — Lebanon has expelled Iranian diplomats before — but the timing, against the backdrop of the ongoing Gulf war and Lebanon's own fragile political equilibrium, gives it unusual weight.

Iran has not publicly responded to the expulsion order. Iranian state media covered the original cabinet decision without editorial comment. The ambassador has not made a public statement since the order was issued. [3]

The practical question is whether Shibani will comply by the deadline. Iranian diplomatic behavior in similar situations — expelled from other jurisdictions, declared persona non grata in other capitals — has varied. Sometimes diplomats depart on schedule. Sometimes they depart slowly, creating administrative complications for the host government that must then decide whether to escalate to forcible removal. [4]

Lebanon's own political situation makes the enforcement question more complicated. The country has been without a functioning president for an extended period. The cabinet that issued the expulsion order operates with limited authority. And Iran maintains significant political influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah — which has its own views on the ambassador's presence. [5]

The deadline is 24 hours from now as this paper goes to print. The next edition will note whether Shibani departed, whether the deadline was extended, or whether the story took an unexpected turn.

-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem