Beirut, Lebanon – On March 24, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi declared Iran’s ambassador to Beirut persona non grata and gave him until March 29 to leave the country.

But two days after the deadline, Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani is still in Lebanon.

The incident comes amid another Israeli war and invasion of Lebanon, which has so far killed more than one thousand people and displaced more than 1.2 million others in just one month.

It has also highlighted a deep political divide in the country – between supporters and opponents of the pro-Iranian Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah. The debate over Hezbollah’s weapons and Iran’s role in Lebanon has taken on a new dimension with the US-Israeli war on Iran and with Hezbollah’s re-entry into war with Israel, reportedly under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“The ambassador’s refusal to leave reflects a deeper political contest over legitimacy and authority,” Imad Salamey, a political scientist at the Lebanese American University, told Al Jazeera.

IRGC calling the shots

Iran’s influence on Lebanon started to take shape in 1982, when the IRGC helped fellow Shia Muslims form Hezbollah as a response to Israeli invasion and occupation. Over the years, Hezbollah became the most powerful actor in Lebanon, both politically and militarily, in large part due to billions of dollars in Iranian funding.

Hezbollah peaked in popularity in 2000, when the group drove the Israeli military out of south Lebanon, ending an 18-year occupation. But subsequent events, which include engaging in the 2006 war with Israel, deploying fighters to the streets of Beirut in 2008, joining the Syrian civil war in support of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2011, and sending partisans to attack protesters during a 2019 uprising, eroded much of the group’s support outside of its core constituency.

When Hezbollah entered war with Israel on October 8, 2023, the group had few supporters outside the Shia Muslim community. By the time a ceasefire was agreed with Israel in November 2024, the group was also at its lowest politically and militarily. Israel had killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, mostly Shia, including Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and much of its military leadership.

With Hezbollah weakened, many in the international community began demanding the disarmament of Hezbollah,  and the Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun made it a priority.

But the IRGC reportedly used the calm brought on by the ceasefire to send officials to Lebanon to help Hezbollah restructure. And some analysts believe it was Tehran that made the call for Hezbollah to re-enter the war with Israel on March 2, just a couple of days after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated in Tehran.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Salam recently made a similar claim, saying that the IRGC is “managing the military operation in Lebanon”. He also accused the Iranian group of firing an attack at Lebanon’s island neighbour to the west, Cyprus.

Ambassador won’t leave

In light of the IRGC’s perceived role in Lebanon, Raggi declared Sheibani persona non grata, effectively removing his diplomatic immunity and asking him to leave the country.

“The Lebanese government’s decision to order the ambassador of Iran out of the country represents a landmark decision in Lebanese politics, given Iran’s profound role in Lebanese politics and its backing for Hezbollah’s militia,” Dania Arayssi, a senior analyst at New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, told Al Jazeera.

But Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said Sheibani won’t leave.

Sheibani’s stay in Lebanon is being backed by Hezbollah, whose officials have made stark statements in local media in recent weeks indicating that the government will have to rescind its decisions on Hezbollah’s disarmament.

“The cabinet decision to disarm Hezbollah triggered the group to make explicit threats to ‘punish’ those involved,” Arayssi said.

Also in Sheibani’s corner is Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Though Berri is a longtime Hezbollah ally,  following Hezbollah’s reentry into the war in March, he initially supported the government’s decision to ban Hezbollah’s military activity.

‘Authority on paper’

The war on Iran and Hezbollah’s reenergised war campaign, in which it is still firing dozens of attacks and militarily engaging with Israeli troops on the ground in Lebanon, is shifting political fortunes, making it more difficult for the government to remove Hezbollah’s military power.

The group, considered badly weakened before its re-entry into the war, is now exerting more confidence militarily and politically in Lebanon.

That is likely connected to Iran’s fortunes, as the government there appears to be holding on to power despite a month of attacks and assassinations.

For his part, Sheibani cannot be stopped or arrested as long as he stays inside the Iranian compound.

Hezbollah’s critics say that the Iranian government’s refusal to abide by the government decision undermines the state’s authority, which has been faltering since the war began. Many of Hezbollah’s most fervent opponents have continued calling for their disarmament, but analysts say that is increasingly difficult while the group is actively fighting Israel, particularly on Lebanese territory.

“The state is asserting its authority on paper,” Salamey said. “But it is constrained in practice by internal divisions and competing claims of legitimacy, with each step testing the boundaries of Lebanon’s power-sharing system.”

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday in the wake of anti-LGBTQ comments and remarks about religion he made in videos on his Instagram account.

“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA,” he said. “They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say come join us for Pride, for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness. They proclaim it. They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? How are they to say that this man is crazy?”

Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have employees from “all different walks of life” and Ivey’s comments don’t reflect the values of the organization.

“Everybody comes with their own personal experiences, but one is we’ve got to all be professional,” Donovan said prior to Chicago’s game at San Antonio. “I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we’ve got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”

In an Instagram live conducted on an airplane hours after the Bulls let him go, Ivey again spoke at length about religion. He said the championship rings LeBron James and Michael Jordan earned are “not gonna matter on judgment day.”

He also insisted he “didn’t get myself waived” and that other teams won’t sign him because they think “he’s too religious.” He said he was in the gym, rehabbing and “doing what was required of me in my job” on Monday.

At one point, a flight attendant asked him to end the session because the plane was about ready to depart and the cellphone could interfere with the communication systems. He continued to discuss religion for about another minute before wrapping it up.

Ivey has spoken this season about dealing with depression. He recently started posting lengthy videos expressing his thoughts about religion on Instagram.

“How is it when the gospel is preached that people hate it?” Ivey said. “That people don’t want to hear it? And they think it’s strange when someone preaches the gospel, the true gospel?”

Chicago acquired Ivey from Detroit in a three-team trade on Feb. 3. He had an expiring contract.

The Bulls shut him down for the remainder of the season last week after being sidelined since Feb. 11 with a sore left knee. He averaged 8.5 points in 37 games this season, including four for Chicago.

“I don’t want to get into what he put out there, but certainly, I hope for him he’s okay,” Donovan said. “I’ve had conversations with Jaden and he’s always been about rehabbing his knee and trying to get on the court and wanting to play. But I think organizationally, there are certain standards we want to have as an organization and try to live up to those each and every day.”

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Israeli officials are warning that Iran’s ongoing internet blackout is shaping the battlefield in ways that extend far beyond cyberspace, limiting visibility into the impact of U.S. and Israeli strikes while tightening the regime’s grip on its own population.

Multiple Israeli sources told Fox News that the blackout is not only restricting information from leaving Iran but also preventing citizens from organizing internally, at a time when pressure on the regime is mounting. Attempts by civilians to access the internet through satellite services such as Starlink have been disrupted through jamming, according to Israeli officials, while hundreds of individuals suspected of using such terminals have been detained.

“This is a blackout on truth,” a senior Israeli intelligence official told Fox News. “The regime is hiding reality from its own people. They don’t want the Iranian people to see how badly they’re getting hit.” 

ISRAEL HAMMERS IRANIAN INTERNAL SECURITY COMMAND CENTERS TO OPEN DOOR TO UPRISING

The information vacuum inside Iran is being filled by state-controlled narratives, according to the official. 

“Iranians only know what they see on TV channels controlled by the Islamic regime, which falsely shows the U.S. and Israel being destroyed,” the Israeli official said.

But the impact goes beyond perception. The blackout is also affecting behavior on the ground. 

“And it’s not just about what people see, it’s about what they can do,” the official said. “Cutting the internet stops people from communicating, from sharing what’s really happening, and from organizing.” 

The restrictions come as the Iranian regime faces both external military pressure and lingering internal unrest following a brutal crackdown earlier in 2026. In January, security forces opened fire on nationwide protests, with reports suggesting the toll could be more than 30,000 killed in a matter of days. 

Against that backdrop, Israeli officials say the blackout reflects the regime’s fear of renewed unrest. 

“The Iranian people are one of the things the regime fears most,” the official said. “That’s why this blackout was such a priority.”

IRAN REGIME HIDES IN BUNKERS AS CIVILIANS LEFT EXPOSED WITHOUT ADEQUATE BOMB SHELTERS OR SIRENS

The result, according to Israeli officials, is a war that is unfolding largely out of public view. 

“This is one of the least visible wars in modern history because very little footage is coming out,” the official said. “When this blackout is lifted, the full extent of the damage to the regime will become clear. Right now, we’re only seeing a small glimpse of just how badly they’re being decimated.” 

Israeli sources also linked the blackout directly to high-value military targets. 

The U.S. and Israel, the official claims, “have taken out 25 senior commanders from the MOIS,” referring to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. 

“The majority (were) eliminated in the opening strike when they gathered for a meeting,” the official said, adding that those targeted were involved in managing the blackout.

The official identified Esmail Khatib as among those killed, describing him as “the minister of Intelligence who was the guy who signed off on the blackout.”

A senior U.S. administration official told Fox News Digital that, “President Trump wants a better life for the Iranian people — including unimpeded access to information. Unfortunately, the terrorist Iranian regime has a long, brutal history of oppressing its own people, but Operation Epic Fury continues to meet or surpass all of its benchmarks, and the entire region will be safer and more stable once these actions are complete.”

IRAN MOVES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN CRYPTO DURING NATIONWIDE INTERNET BLACKOUT, REPORT REVEALS

U.S. analysts say the information domain is becoming a central front in the conflict. 

John Spencer, executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on X that “Iran has repeatedly shut down internet access to control its population. That capability can be reversed.”

Spencer argued that external actors could shift the balance by targeting regime communications while enabling civilian connectivity. 

“Disrupt regime command networks while enabling connectivity for the population through external systems. Information becomes a weapon,” he wrote. “Control of narrative, coordination, and awareness shifts away from the regime.”

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He also pointed to underlying instability inside Iran, noting that the country’s population is “over 85 million, young, urban, and repeatedly discontent,” with protest activity suggesting that a significant portion opposes the regime.

“Until now, civilians have largely been told to shelter,” Spencer wrote. “That could change.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iranian mission to the United Nations, which responded, “no comment.”