US State Department Declares Lebanese Consul General in Michigan Persona Non Grata

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, …the US Department of State has officially designated Ibrahim Sharara, the Consul General of Lebanon in Detroit, Michigan, as an unwelcome figure, citing his past activities and statements published on social media platforms.

Back on October 23, 2021, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, the Lebanese diplomat posted on X, formerly Twitter, stating that the heroic resistance against the US military occupation in Beirut had dealt a decisive blow to that occupation and marked the defeat of neo-colonialism in their homeland.

In another message, the diplomatic official further emphasized their stance by writing that from the marine barracks in Beirut to the Al-Tanf base, they would continue to reject and defeat the occupier. According to reports from the American newspaper Washington Free Beacon, these controversial remarks directly reference the 1983 incident at the US military headquarters in Beirut, which resulted in the deaths of 241 American service members, prompting the State Department’s swift action.

Historical records indicate that Lebanon entered a prolonged civil war in 1975, and amid escalating conflicts, a multinational coalition force comprising American, French, and other international troops deployed to the country starting in September 1982. On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb attack targeted the US Marine compound in Beirut, causing the heavy casualties that remain a significant point of reference in US-Lebanese diplomatic and security discussions.