Kuwait asked the Chargé d'Affairs of the Lebanese embassy to leave the country, similar to the decision announced by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and the UAE decided to withdraw its diplomats from Beirut, in the latest escalation of the crisis sparked by the statements of Lebanese Minister of Information George Kordahi regarding the war in Yemen.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued today, Saturday, that it had decided to withdraw its diplomats from Lebanon and also announced, "preventing citizens from traveling to the Republic of Lebanon", "in solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in light of the unacceptable approach by some Lebanese officials towards the Kingdom."
Earlier, Al-Jazeera correspondent in Kuwait, Samar Chidiac, said that the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the Chargé d'Affairs of the Lebanese Embassy to leave the country within 48 hours, and also summoned its ambassador in Beirut for consultations in protest against the statements of the Lebanese Minister of Information about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.
On Friday evening, Saudi Arabia announced the recall of its ambassador to Lebanon in protest against the statements of the Lebanese Minister of Information in which he defended the Houthis, and also asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave within 48 hours, and decided to stop Lebanese imports into the Kingdom.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that the crisis with Lebanon had its origins in "Hezbollah's hegemony."
He added in his statements today that the Kingdom has no opinion on whether the Lebanese government should stay or leave.
In the same context, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, against the background of a series of "rejected and offensive" statements and positions issued by Lebanese officials recently, according to the agency.
Saudi Arabia expressed its regret over the state of relations with the Lebanese Republic (Shutterstock)
Interactions in Lebanon
On the Lebanese side, President Michel Aoun reiterated his keenness to establish and consolidate the best relations with Saudi Arabia through the signing of bilateral agreements.
Aoun stressed - today in a statement - to avoid the effects of "positions and opinions that are issued by some" and not to cause a crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, especially since such a thing happened more than once, as he put it.
On the other hand, the former heads of the Lebanese government, Saad Hariri, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, denounced what they described as the positions outside the Arab origins of the Lebanese Minister of Information, George Qardahi.
And they considered in a statement that these statements constitute a severe blow to the relations and interests that link Lebanon with the Arab countries in general and the Gulf states in particular, especially with Saudi Arabia.
The statement called on Qardahi to resign from the government, stressing that Lebanon is no longer able to withstand successive setbacks as a result of its accession to the Iranian axis.
In the same context, a statement issued by the Presidency of the Lebanese Government said yesterday;
"Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked Minister of Information George Kordahi to appreciate the national interest and take the appropriate decision to reform Lebanon's Arab relations."
Mikati expressed his regret at Saudi Arabia's decision to withdraw its ambassador in Beirut and its request to leave the Lebanese ambassador, expressing his hope that Riyadh would reconsider it, and stressed his strong rejection of everything that harms brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia.
He appealed to Arab leaders to work and help overcome this crisis in order to preserve Arab cohesion.
Crisis meeting and American presence
In turn, a group of Lebanese ministers held a crisis meeting today, Saturday, to discuss the escalating diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Beirut said that Richard Michaels, the deputy chief of the US mission in Lebanon, attended the meeting, and declined to provide further details.
On the other hand, the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, expressed his support for any decision taken by Minister Qardahi, and said that the Lebanese Minister of Information offered him his resignation, but he refused.
Aboul Gheit appealed to Arab leaders to work and help overcome the Lebanese-Gulf crisis (Reuters)
A call to heal the rift
For his part, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, expressed his deep concern and regret at the rapid deterioration in the Lebanese-Gulf relations, calling on the Gulf states to reconsider their measures to avoid negative effects on the Lebanese economy.
An official source in the General Secretariat of the League stated that the crisis caused by previous statements by the Lebanese Minister of Information, George Kordahi, and the subsequent events and positions, should have been dealt with by the Lebanese in a way that defuses it and does not stoke its fire, as happened.
The source added that these statements and stances led to a major setback in Lebanon's relations with its Arab environment in general and the Gulf region in particular.
He stressed that the Secretary-General has confidence in the wisdom and ability of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to seek quickly in order to take the necessary steps that can put an end to the deterioration of those relations, and contribute to calming the atmosphere in particular with Saudi Arabia and healing the rift caused by "positions of parties wishing to It has an interest in dismantling the bonds of brotherhood that bind Lebanon and its Arab people to its brethren in the Gulf and Arab countries."
The Secretary-General also appealed to officials in the Gulf states to reflect on the measures proposed to be taken in the midst of that situation;
In order to avoid further negative effects on the collapsing Lebanese economy and the citizen who is living in extremely difficult conditions.
Qardahi's statements
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE protested the statements made by the Lebanese Minister of Information regarding the war in Yemen.
Qardahi described the war in Yemen as absurd, and said that it must stop, and saw that what the Houthis are doing is self-defense, in statements he made in an episode of the "Parliament of the People" program broadcast last Monday.
In the wake of the controversy sparked by his statements, Qardahi said that no one should dictate to the Lebanese what to do about whether or not a minister remains in the government, adding that he is part of an integrated government and cannot take a decision to resign on his own.
Qardahi pointed out that his interview, which sparked controversy, was filmed on the fifth of last August, weeks before his appointment as a minister, stressing that his positions in that interview towards Syria, Palestine and the Gulf are personal opinions, and do not bind the government.
He said that I did not mean "in any way to offend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Emirates, whose leadership and people I have so much love and loyalty to."
Hezbollah's position
For his part, the head of the Hezbollah bloc in the Lebanese parliament, Muhammad Raad, said that one of the countries in the region avenges its defeat in Lebanon, after it supported a people who assaulted them for 8 years, in reference to Yemen.
Raad believed that some parties are almost fabricating a governmental crisis that does not end with the resignation of a minister, but rather with the cracking of the entire government situation, and that the intention may be to sabotage stability, as he put it.
He added that whoever wants to create a crisis in Lebanon seeks to disrupt the upcoming legislative elections.
In a previous statement, Hezbollah had condemned what it described as the "unjust" campaign led by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council against Information Minister George Kordahi, against the background of his positions on the Yemen war.
The party announced its rejection of any call to dismiss Qardahi or push him to resign, considering these calls a blatant attack on Lebanon, according to the statement.