Bahrain expels Lebanese ambassador: Report

Bahrain has asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave within 48 hours, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported on Friday.

The Bahrain foreign ministry’s move follows similar measures from Saudi Arabia that included a blanket ban on all imports from Lebanon.

Earlier, Saudi state media said the kingdom has ordered the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours. Saudi also stopped all imports from Lebanon, a response to comments by a Lebanese minister who described the war in Yemen as Saudi “aggression”.

Lebanon’s prime minister and president discussed the Saudi decision and asked the country’s information minister to take the “right decision,” an apparent call for him to resign in hopes it will ease the tension.

Saudi state media added in its report that the kingdom’s ambassador to Beirut was also asked to head back home. The report said that the move will not affect tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens and their families who live and work in the kingdom.

The decision came days after a video circulated on social media in which Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi described the war in Yemen as aggression by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He added that the war in Yemen is “absurd” and must stop because he is opposed to wars between Arabs.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office said he discussed the situation with President Michel Aoun before calling Kordahi and asking him to take “the right decision for the sake of national interests”.

Mikati expressed regret for the Saudi move and urged the kingdom to review its decision. Mikati added that his government “categorically rejects” anything that harms the “deep brotherly relations” with Saudi Arabia.

Mikati said earlier that Kordahi’s comments do not represent the government’s opinion, reiterating that the minister spoke before taking his post last month.

Kordahi, a former TV show host, made the comments on a TV programme before he was chosen for the post in September. Kordahi is close to the Christian Marada Movement, an ally of the Hezbollah group.

Kordahi held a news conference in Beirut this week, refusing to apologise for the interview, which he said was broadcast August 5. He added that since becoming a minister, he abides by the government’s policy of not expressing his opinion.

“We should not continue to be subjected to blackmail in Lebanon by anyone whether they are countries, ambassadors or individuals,” Kordahi said, adding that he has no plans to resign from the post over his comments.

Saudi Arabia has been a major supporter of Lebanon, but the kingdom has also been locked in a regional struggle with Iran, the main ally of the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.