Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE Urge Their Citizens to Leave Lebanon Immediately
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri on Wednesday urged all Saudi citizens in Lebanon to leave the country “immediately,” after media reports said a Saudi man and his son were kidnapped by al-Meqdad clan in retaliation for the abduction of one of its members in Damascus by the Syrian opposition.
Later on Wednesday, the UAE and Qatar also urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.
"Unfortunately, the situation is very dangerous," UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan said on Twitter.
Qatar for its part cited "the instability of the security situations" in Lebanon, in remarks carried by its official news agency.
Speaking from Mecca to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Asiri said he asked all Saudi citizens to leave Lebanon immediately “after the threats have become public.”
He also asked all Saudis “not to visit Lebanon at all amid the current circumstances.”
The Saudi ambassador added that he is not aware of “the abduction of any Saudi citizen in Lebanon.”
Al-Meqdad family announced earlier on Wednesday that its military wing has so far kidnapped more than 20 Free Syrian Army members in Lebanon, as well as a Turkish national, promising a “hefty catch.”
The military wing told LBCI television: “We may take escalatory measures depending on the latest developments.”
“We have a bank of targets in Lebanon and we are capable of reaching regional targets,” it warned.
Al-Meqdad family also held Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey responsible for the kidnapping of Hassan.
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