Lebanon to review move to let Iranians in without passport stamps
BEIRUT - Lebanese ministers will review a security agency's decision to allow Iranians to enter at the airport without having their passports stamped, an interior ministry source said on Tuesday.
The move by the General Security agency has sparked an outcry from some politicians who fear it reflects the deepening influence of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which emerged from a recent parliamentary vote with more sway.
The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, described the change as an attempt to help Iran send more forces to Syria through Beirut or move money to Hezbollah despite US sanctions.
The agency, which oversees airport security, has defended its decision and said entry cards will be stamped instead.
Iran's state news agency IRNA, reporting on the new measure this week, said some Iranians who had travelled to Lebanon had faced difficulty obtaining European visas.
