Lebanese media report that the head of General Security, Gen. Hassan Choucair, granted Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani a six-month residency permit as a civi…

Assessment

The head of Lebanon's General Security has personally intervened to give the Iranian ambassador a civilian residency permit after his diplomatic visa expired. This bypasses whatever decision was made to have him leave. The move signals that key security officials in Lebanon are willing to accommodate Iranian diplomatic personnel even when formal procedures say otherwise. Watch for whether the Lebanese government publicly endorses or distances itself from this decision.