Riyadh, UAE tell citizens to leave Lebanon

Saudi Arabia Tuesday urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave, days after Riyadh halted a $3-billion programme funding military supplies to Beirut in response to “hostile” positions linked to Hezbollah.

The foreign ministry issued a statement calling on “all citizens not to travel to Lebanon, for their safety, and asking citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting not to stay unless extremely necessary,” the official SPA news agency reported. Announcing the aid halt on Friday, an official said the kingdom had noticed “hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the State”. The UAE also banned its citizens from travelling to Lebanon and reduced its diplomatic presence in Beirut.