Saudi Arabia Urges its Citizens to Leave Lebanon
Saudi Arabia's embassy in Beirut has called on citizens to leave Lebanon because of the dangerous situation, its ambassador said Thursday, after some media linked the kingdom to deadly blasts.
"The Saudi embassy sent a text message to (Saudi) citizens in Lebanon advising them to leave, considering the danger of the situation and out of concern for their safety," the ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri, told AFP.
The warning comes two days after a twin suicide bombings killed 25 people near the Beirut embassy of Saudi's regional rival Iran, which is located in the stronghold of Tehran ally Hizbullah.
The text messages sent to Saudis in Lebanon read: "Considering the security situation at the moment and the media campaign, the embassy advises citizens to return home, and advises caution."
Tuesday's attack outside the Iranian embassy were followed by a stinging campaign in some pro-Hizbullah media outlets against Saudi Arabia, accusing the Gulf monarchy of being behind the blasts.
"Saudi Arabia: losses in Syria and suicide in Lebanon," read a headline on Wednesday in pro-Hizbullah daily al-Akhbar.
On Thursday, al-Akhbar said Lebanon had "entered into the era of suicide bombings," adding that the attackers had "resorted to the takfiri (extremist Sunni) heritage sponsored by the Saudi kingdom with millions of dollars".
Twenty-five people were killed and nearly 150 people wounded in Tuesday's attack on the embassy of Iran, which supports Hizbullah and backs Syria's President Bashar Assad.
Saudi Arabia supports the rebels fighting to topple Assad.
An al-Qaida-affiliated group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it is aimed at pressuring Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
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