US expels Lebanese consul over posts praising 1983 Beirut bombing
Dubai: The United States has ordered Lebanon's consul general in Detroit to leave the country over social media posts attributed to him that praised the 1983 bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 American military personnel. Ibrahim Charara was declared persona non grata by the US State Department following reports that he had celebrated the attack in social media posts…
The United States has ordered Lebanon's consul general in Detroit, Ibrahim Charara, to leave the country due to social media posts he made praising the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut. This attack, carried out by Hezbollah, killed 241 American military personnel and 58 French troops. The US State Department declared Charara persona non grata after discovering the posts from 2021, which portrayed the bombing as an act of resistance against American forces.
Lebanon's embassy in Washington received formal notification from the State Department, leading to the decision. The US stressed that individuals who celebrate or justify terrorist attacks have no place in the country. A source close to Charara claimed his social media account had been hacked, but the timing of the decision raised questions, given that Charara had undergone security checks before his diplomatic appointment in April 2025.
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