TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon heated after Saudi Arabia ordered the Lebanese ambassador to leave within 48 hours on Friday and banned all Lebanese imports in response to the Lebanese minister’s critical comments about the Saudi-led military coalition’s intervention in Yemen.
The diplomatic split threw the Lebanese cabinet into further crisis as it tried to rally Arab support for the ailing economy.
Saudi Arabia also summoned its ambassador to Lebanon for consultations, Saudi state news agency SPA reported Reuters, October 31, 2021.
Saudi Arabia’s decision comes days after an interview with Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi was aired by an online show affiliated with Qatar’s Al Jazeera network.
Kordahi, in comments made on Aug. 5, called the war futile, saying Yemen was the target of aggression and that the Iran-aligned Houthis were only defending themselves.
The dispute is the latest challenge for Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s cabinet, which is already in a political paralysis over the dispute over the Beirut port boom investigation.
The risk of a split widening into more Gulf states with Bahrain also asking the Lebanese ambassador to leave shortly after the Saudi decision.
Najib Mikati, in a phone call with Kordahi on Friday evening, asked him to put the national interest first and “take the right decision to improve Arab relations with Lebanon,” said a statement by his office.
Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Saudi escalation had pressured Kordahi to resign to avoid further consequences.
Mikati earlier reiterated his government’s commitment to good relations with Saudi Arabia and called on Arab partners to fix the crisis.
“We also call on Arab leaders to work and help overcome this crisis to maintain Arab cohesion,” the statement said.
Kordahi said the show was recorded nearly a month before he took office and he would not resign over the incident.
Najib Mikati hopes to improve relations with Gulf Arab states that have been strained for years due to the influence of the Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah’s terrorist control over the decision-making of the Lebanese state makes Lebanon an arena for carrying out projects for countries that do not want Lebanon and its people well,” the SPA statement said.
Hezbollah praised Kordahi’s comments on Thursday.
In April, Saudi Arabia banned all imports of fruit and vegetables from Lebanon and blamed an increase in drug smuggling.
The ban adds to the economic misery Lebanon, which is already in the throes of one of the worst financial crises of modern times.
Also read: How Severe is the Crisis in Lebanon Right Now?
REUTERS
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