BEIRUT — Lebanon’s government on Thursday decided to pursue and arrest any members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) present in the country and deport them.Information Minister Paul Morcos said during a press conference that the Cabinet requested the relevant ministries and administrations to verify whether IRGC members are in Lebanon.Authorities were instructed “to intervene firmly and immediately to prevent any security or military activity they might carry out from Lebanese territory, regardless of their status or the cover under which they operate, and to arrest them under the supervision of the competent judiciary in preparation for deportation,” Morcos said.The Cabinet also decided to reinstate visa requirements for Iranian nationals entering Lebanon as part of efforts to tighten border control and “prevent any activity that could undermine security or use Lebanese territory to carry out special objectives.”Morcos said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rejected recent accusations that the government was aligning with Israeli demands.“Such statements cannot be tolerated,” Morcos quoted Salam as saying, adding that those who “dragged Lebanon into consequences we could have avoided” were committing a “grave mistake.”The announcement came as regional tensions intensified following large-scale attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran since Saturday.
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