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Iran's Ambassador Won't Leave Lebanon despite Expulsion
(AFP-Al Arabiya) Iran's ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani will not leave Lebanon despite being declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country by Sunday, an Iranian diplomatic source told AFP. Hizbullah denounced the government decision, while the Shiite Amal party led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri joined Hizbullah ministers in boycotting a cabinet session in protest of the order. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry accused Sheibani of making statements "interfering in Lebanon's internal politics." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the expulsion "a courageous decision." Lebanese authorities have banned Hizbullah's military activities as well as the presence and operations of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).