Kuwait and Qatar have joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in warning their citizens against travel to Lebanon. The move came with more than a whiff of politics: the move followed a Saudi decision to cancel $4 billion in aid to Lebanon.
Riyadh stopped its aid to the Lebanese security forces in response to “hostile” positions linked to the Shia militia Hezbollah, that rules much of Lebanon.
On Qatar’s news agency, Doha’s foreign ministry issued a statement calling on its citizens in Lebanon to “leave for their own safety” and determined that no Qatari nationals should travel there.
Also on Wednesday, the Kuwaiti embassy in Beirut said all its citizens should leave “except in extreme circumstances,” advising those who remain to exercise “caution” and avoid unspecified places which are “not safe.”
One day earlier, the Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement calling on “all citizens not to travel to Lebanon, for their safety, and asking citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting not to stay unless extremely necessary.”