The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a decision to dismiss its ambassador to Lebanon, Haider Al-Barrak, asking him to return to Baghdad.
This comes barely three days after a video and images of the Iraqi ambassador Haider Al-Barrak circulated on social media showing him firing an RPG7 rocket and surrounded by an armed group in Bekaa.
The video and photos went viral and stirred up controversy, mostly criticisms against him from Lebanese and Iraqi social media users, as well as regional media outlets.
It led him to issue a statement explaining that his visit to the “leaders of tribes in Bekaa” was by invitation and that “firing an RPG7 rocket is one of their customs.”
His explanation didn’t manage to appease the criticism but stirred further comments.
This isn’t the first time Ambassador Al-Barrak is summoned back to his country due to a controversial incident.
Back in March, after the Iraqi bilateral talks with Lebanon, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned him to investigate a claim by a member of the Iraqi delegation, accusing the ambassador of allegedly preventing him from making a media statement.
