Riyadh Says to Sue al-Akhbar, Newspaper Slams 'Direct Threat'
The Saudi Embassy in Beirut has tasked a team to sue al-Akhbar newspaper after Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri accused it of publishing rumors about Riyadh, al-Watan daily reported on Friday.
The Saudi newspaper said that a lawsuit will be filed against “al-Akhbar which has become famous for belonging to the Iran-Hizbullah-Syria axis.”
Al-Akhbar is seeking to promote the principles of the “resistance axis,” said the report.
Al-Watan also quoted Asiri as saying that the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese newspaper is promoting lies against Saudi Arabia and its leadership.
“It is time to put an end to this,” the diplomat said.
The newspaper snapped back at Asiri later on Friday, describing his remarks as “a direct threat to the lives of the institution’s employees, a blatant attack on the freedom of expression in Lebanon and a flagrant violation of norms and laws.”
It held the ambassador and his government fully responsible for “any form of moral, material or physical harm.”
Al-Akhbar also noted that it “reserves the right to sue him and prosecute him before all judicial authorities and relevant bodies in Lebanon, at the Arab level and in the world.”
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