New Delhi, March 26 -- Lebanon's Foreign Ministry declared Iran's ambassador to Beirut persona non grata Tuesday, ordering him to leave the country by the end of the week.

The decision was the clearest sign yet of deteriorating relations between the two countries and raises tensions within Lebanon over the role of Tehran and its Lebanon-based ally, the militant Hezbollah group.

The decision is the latest step taken by Lebanon's government against Iran after the most recent Israel-Hezbollah war broke out on March 2, during which Israel's military killed several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard in strikes around the long-suffering country.

Hezbollah triggered the latest war by firing rockets into Israel two days after Israel and the...