US Expels Lebanese Consul General Over 1983 Beirut Bombing Remarks

The US State Department has declared Ibrahim Sharara, the Consul General of Lebanon in Detroit, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country. The decision follows social media posts attributed to the diplomat that described the 1983 terrorist attack on the US Marine barracks in Beirut as "heroic resistance."

The American move comes after the US-based Washington Free Beacon published an investigation earlier this month detailing statements attributed to Sharara. The reports highlighted a post allegedly published in 2021 marking the anniversary of the Beirut bombing, which stated that the "resistance" had ended the "US military occupation" of Lebanon in a single blow.

Another post attributed to him declared: "From the Marine bases in Beirut to the Al-Tanf base in Syria – we will resist the occupier and defeat him." These remarks drew sharp criticism in the United States, prompting the State Department to issue the expulsion order. The Lebanese Embassy in Washington received official notification from the State Department.

Meanwhile, sources close to the diplomat have offered a different explanation. A source familiar with the matter told L'Orient Today that the social media account in question was hacked approximately seven years ago and that Sharara was not responsible for the posts. According to the source, the diplomat lost access to the account, the associated email address, and the linked phone number. No definitive official conclusion regarding the identity of the poster has been publicly established.

The 1983 bombing involved a truck carrying a heavy explosive charge that drove into the Beirut airport area, breached the barbed wire fence, and rammed into the US Marine battalion headquarters building. The Iranian driver detonated the explosives, destroying the building and killing 241 US service members and a Lebanese civilian.