US Expels Lebanese Consul for Praising Beirut Barracks Bombing

Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the deportation of Ibrahim Charara, Lebanon's Consul General in Detroit, after declaring him persona non grata. The decision followed the discovery of 2021 social media posts in which Charara described the 1983 suicide bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut as a "single strike" by a "heroic resistance" that ended the American military occupation of Lebanon. The 1983 attack killed 241 American service members.

Additional reports indicated Charara praised the escape of Palestinian prisoners from Israel's Gilboa Prison and used a profile image featuring a burning Israeli flag. He also referenced a 2021 drone attack on American soldiers at the Al-Tanf base in Syria. Charara, who was appointed to the Detroit post in September 2025 and previously served as Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs to Egypt, was ordered to leave the United States by November 8 or within 48 hours of notification.

The United States Department of State notified the Lebanese Embassy in Washington of the expulsion, asserting that a visa is a privilege and that individuals who celebrate or justify terrorist attacks have no place in the country. The action follows reports of Charara's attendance at an event with Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan shortly before the November 3 midterm elections.