Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain Urge Citizens to Avoid Lebanon

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates urged their citizens not to travel to Lebanon, days after Riyadh cut $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry’s announcement on Tuesday, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, urged citizens already there to depart or to be in contact with the Saudi Embassy in Beirut. It gave no reason for the warning other than unspecified safety concerns, the Associated Press reported.

The United Arab Emirates followed by saying it would pull most of its diplomats out of Lebanon and warned its own citizens not to travel there, according to a statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency. It did not elaborate or offer a reason for the decision.

Bahrain issued its own statement late Tuesday, telling citizens of the tiny island kingdom off Saudi Arabia to avoid travel to Lebanon, while telling citizens already there “to promptly leave and to exercise extreme caution at all times.” It offered no reason for the order.

The move came days after Saudi Arabia announced Friday that it was halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces.