Report: No Fear of Attack against Arab or Iranian Embassies in Beirut

Despite the tensions that have erupted between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Arab countries, there are no fears that this dispute will spill over into Lebanon, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Tuesday.

A security source told the daily that there are no concerns that the Iranian embassy or the embassy of any other Arab country would be targeted in wake of the tensions between Riyadh and Tehran.

The necessary security measures have been taken as a precaution, it revealed.

It said that the Internal Security Forces and some army units prevented a group of some 25 civilian demonstrators from approaching the Saudi embassy in Beirut on Monday.

The group was warned against nearing the embassy or any other one, it added.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese security and political source warned to al-Joumhouria of “the dangers of carrying out any attack against Arab Gulf diplomatic centers or missions, specifically those headquartered in Beirut.”

“The consequences of such actions will not be limited to the diplomatic or political levels,” cautioned the source.

This message has since been relayed to political and party officials in the country, said al-Joumhouria.

A dispute erupted between Riyadh and Tehran over the weekend following the kingdom's execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The fallout saw the severing of diplomatic ties between the two countries, while several Arab countries have in turn severed their ties with Tehran.

M.T.

D.A.