UAE backs Saudi move to halt arms aid to Lebanon

Abu Dhabi - Saudi Arabia announced it was halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced the UAE's full support for Saudi Arabia's decision to conduct a comprehensive review of its relations with Lebanon and halt its arms deals for the Lebanese armed forces due to its recent official positions, including its failure to condemn Iran's aggression against the Saudi Embassy and Consulate in Iran.
In a statement, the ministry noted that Saudi Arabia's decision came after Lebanon repeatedly took negative, offensive and bizarre positions against pan-Arab consensus despite contact with the relevant Lebanese authorities.
COLUMN: Saudi Arabia's aid halt to Lebanon is justified
"Lebanon's official position has been hijacked and turned against the interests of Lebanon itself and the interests of Arabs, something evident in the so-called Hezbollah's domineering and hijacking of Lebanon's official decision, which led to Lebanon taking a incongruous position that is against the pan-Arab interests," the ministry's statement said.
Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia announced it was halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces. One deal involves Saudi Arabia paying $3 billion to buy French arms for the Lebanese military. The other involves a $1 billion support deal for the Lebanese police.