Diplomatic crisis between Riyadh and Beirut: mixed reactions from Lebanese leaders
Prime Minister Najib Mikati “deeply regretted the decision of the Saudi kingdom” to recall its ambassador to Beirut.
- DALATI AND NOHRA / AFP / File
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
A diplomatic crisis has erupted between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon after comments by Lebanese Minister of Information, Georges Cordahi, criticizing the war in Yemen, a month before his appointment to the government.
Riyadh recalled its ambassador to Beirut on Friday and gave the Lebanese ambassador 48 hours to leave the kingdom.
Saudi authorities have also announced the suspension of trade between the two countries.
Lebanese leaders reacted timidly to the measure, unprecedented in the diplomatic annals of the two countries.
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Paul Khalifeh
Prime Minister Najib Mikati “
deeply
regretted
the kingdom's decision
”.
He "
hoped
" for a reconsideration of this measure and reaffirmed his "
firm and categorical rejection of anything that harms deep fraternal relations with the kingdom
".
►
See also:
War in Yemen: Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador to Lebanon
As always, the political class is divided between supporters and opponents of the Saudi measure.
In a series of tweets, ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed Hezbollah for the unprecedented degradation of relations between Lebanon and the Gulf countries, where nearly 400,000 Lebanese live and work.
"
We have fallen into hell,
" he said, calling for the end of what he calls "
Iran's stranglehold
" on the land of the cedar.
ان # السعودية وكل دول الخليج العربي لن تكون مكسر عصا للسياسات الايرانية في المنطقة
, وسيادة # لبنان لن تستقيم بالعدوان على سيادة الدول العربية, وتعريض مصالح الدول الشقيقة وامنها للمخاطر المستوردة من ايران
.
٥/٧
- Saad Hariri (@saadhariri) October 29, 2021
A response to the advance of the Houthis?
For many observers, the Saudi reaction to Minister
Georges Cordahi's
remarks
is disproportionate.
Personalities close to Saudi Arabia, such as Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, have already used the word “
absurd
” to describe the conflict in Yemen, without drawing the wrath of Riyadh.
For the daily
Al-Akhbar
, close to Hezbollah, the Saudi retaliatory measures are in reality a response to the advance of the Houthi rebels supported by Hezbollah and Iran around Marib.
The fall of this city in northern Yemen would be a major defeat for the coalition led by the kingdom.
►
See also:
Yemen: behind the rebel offensive in Marib, an increasingly complex war
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Saudi Arabia
Lebanon
Yemen