An unprecedented cyberattack was launched against the government of Albania on July 15, which temporarily shut down numerous government websites and public portals. This week, Albanian authorities concluded an investigation, with Prime Minister Edi Rama announcing Wednesday they found "undeniable evidence" that the Iranian government was behind the attack. 

Iranian embassy staff were then ordered out of the country, in what's being described as a historical first of an embassy being shuttered over allegations of a hostile state-backed cyberattack.

Reports and footage from the region showed that the embassy was quickly closed down, and diplomats whisked away Thursday:

Movement inside the Iranian embassy in Tirana continued nonstop from Wednesday into Thursday. An empty barrel was seen taken into the compound and later a fire was started in it, apparently burning documents. A diplomatic car went in and out, while an Albanian police officer communicated with the embassy before two officers entered and left after a few minutes.

Washington expressed its support for shuttering the embassy, and Tirana's severing formal relations with the Islamic Republic: 

The United States supported the move by Albania, a NATO member, and vowed unspecified retaliation against Iran for what it called "a troubling precedent for cyberspace."