Hezbollah has sought to declare the US ambassador persona non grata because he suggested critics of a Christian leader should leave Lebanon.
BEIRUT: Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities on Monday to declare the US ambassador “persona non grata” after the envoy suggested those who had offended a senior Christian religious leader should leave the country.
Controversy erupted on Saturday after a video published by Lebanese television channel LBCI depicted Hezbollah leaders and fighters as characters from the “Angry Birds” mobile phone game, sparking a sectarian-tinged debate.
Hezbollah supporters condemned the video and called it a mockery of their leader Naim Qassim, who is also a Shia cleric.
Some people reacted by sharing photos insulting Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in a campaign that sparked widespread condemnation and expressions of support for the head of Lebanon’s most influential Christian sect.
After meeting with Rai on Monday, US Ambassador Michelle Issa said the visit was to show support for the patriarchy and “express our disapproval of what happened over the weekend”.
“This is inappropriate in Lebanon… a country known for coexistence,” he said.
He said, “I think that for the people who did this, Lebanon may be unsuitable for them, so they should look for another country to live.”
Hezbollah issued a statement on behalf of MP Ali Ammar condemning “the blatant interference of the US ambassador in Beirut in Lebanese affairs and his calls to push the Lebanese people out of their country.”
“The simplest measure that can be taken is to declare him persona non grata,” Ammar said.
As the controversy escalated, Lebanese officials including President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, condemned the attacks on religious leaders.
LBCI later removed the video after being called out by the Lebanese judiciary.
Despite Lebanon’s relative freedom of expression compared to other Arab countries, the media, artists, and comedians have faced harassment over work deemed offensive to political or religious figures.
The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has killed nearly 2,700 people and displaced more than a million, has deepened divisions in Lebanon.
The Iran-backed group is accused of dragging the country into the Middle East war by firing rockets at Israel on March 2 to avenge the US-Israeli assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
