Iran Defies Lebanon's Ambassador Expulsion Order

0:00On March 30, Iran just straight up ignored Lebanon's order to kick out its ambassador, Muhammad Reza Shabani, who still posted up in Beirut. The deadline hits Sunday after Lebanon labeled him Persona non-Gradda to dial back Iran's influence and swap him for a lower-level charge to fares. This comes as Hezbollah, backed by Iran, clashes hard with Israel, who's pushed into southern Lebanon. Lebanon ramped up pressure earlier this month by banning military moves from both Hezbollah and Iran's revolutionary guard corps. Officials hoped this would help disarm the group amid the chaos, but Iran pushed back heavy, leaning on parliament speaker Nabi Barry and others too. Flip the script. Folks are fired up. Hezbollah slammed the expulsion as a sellout to outside forces and rallied near the embassy in support. Israel's foreign minister, called Lebanon, a fake state run by Iran, while a top Hezbollah figure warned Lebanon's foreign minister not to play with. Fire. Over 1,200 dead-in-1 million displaced so far.

1:04Diplomatic talks are getting messy. With Iran's stance tying Lebanon's war into bigger chats with the U.S., stalling disarmament pushes by president. Joseph Iyun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. They came in after the last Israel clash in November 2024, vowing to neuter non-state militias like Hezbollah. Tensions keep boiling as Lebanon weighs its next move, with the ambassadors safe under diplomatic immunity, leaving everyone watching how this defiance shakes out the bigger regional standoff. World news, powered by AI, this is Global News Today. I'm Kori with the story.