An Iranian diplomat will remain in Lebanon despite a government order to leave, a diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday, after Beirut withdrew its approval of the envoy’s accreditation.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry had earlier informed Iranian ambassador-designate Mohammad Reza Sheibani that his accreditation was revoked and that he must leave the country by Sunday, following a series of unprecedented measures linked to escalating tensions involving Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The ministry said the decision did not amount to a severing of diplomatic ties with Iran but was a measure taken against the envoy for what it described as violations of diplomatic norms and obligations.

The diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the envoy would not depart at the request of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah, which had called on authorities to reverse the decision.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement condemned the move and urged the government to reconsider. In protest, ministers affiliated with the two groups boycotted a cabinet session on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Lebanon summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for a coordinated missile attack with Hezbollah on Israel. Lebanese authorities subsequently ordered a halt to any activities linked to the IRGC on its territory.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a recent television interview that the IRGC was present in Lebanon and involved in managing military operations. The government has also banned Hezbollah’s military and security activities following the outbreak of hostilities.

The conflict spread to Lebanon in early March after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel, prompting Israeli airstrikes and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.