Lebanese businessmen in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are planning to visit Gulf countries to announce their support for the Saudi-led coalition against Huthi rebels in Yemen, al-Liwaa daily reported on Tuesday.

The tour of the Lebanese expatriates is aimed at throwing their weight behind the decision of Saudi King Salman last month to carry out air strikes against the Shiite rebels to defend Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansur Hadi's government, said the report.

Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem directed a barrage of criticism at Saudi Arabia on Monday, accusing the kingdom of committing genocide with its airstrike campaign targeting Yemen's Shiite rebels and warning it will "pay a heavy price" for its involvement.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Qassem, said Saudi Arabia made a "strategic mistake" by interfering in Yemen's internal affairs.

The Saudi-led coalition waging air strikes in Yemen takes its offensive to the diplomatic stage Tuesday, seeking a U.N. demand that rebels retreat and an arms embargo and sanctions against their leaders.

The draft U.N. Security Council resolution put forward by Jordan and Gulf countries could be blocked by veto-wielding Russia which has friendly relations with Iran, an ally of the Shiite Huthi rebels.

Hundreds of Iranians staged a protest outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran on Monday against the kingdom's air strikes on Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Witnesses estimated the crowd numbered 400 at the demonstration, which went ahead without official authorization.

Islamabad will "intensify" efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Yemen conflict, Pakistan's prime minister said Monday, after parliament voted to keep the country out of the Saudi-led coalition against anti-government rebels.

Nawaz Sharif said the restoration of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government, overthrown by Huthi Shiite rebels, would be an "important step forward towards establishing peace."

Saudi Arabia gave a royal welcome to France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius during a visit that highlighted a deepening of ties with major powers beyond traditional ally the United States.

The reinforcement of links with Paris comes as Riyadh worries over an Iran nuclear deal and fights Iran-backed rebels in neighboring Yemen.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to make a televised speech on Friday afternoon.

The speech will be made during a rally in solidarity with “the brave Yemeni people and condemnation of the Saudi-American offensive” against their country, announced the party in a statement.

Iran has suspended pilgrimages to the Muslim holy places in Saudi Arabia in protest at an alleged sexual assault attempt against two teenage Iranian boys, the culture minister said Monday.

According to Iranian media reports, two Saudi police are alleged to have attempted to assault the youngsters at Jeddah airport as they prepared to fly home from a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina two weeks ago.

Aid agencies warned Monday of a growing humanitarian crisis including food shortages in Yemen as Saudi-led warplanes hit rebel positions for a third week and rival forces clashed.

Fighting was especially fierce in the main southern city of Aden, where medics and military forces said at least 30 people were killed in overnight clashes between rebels and supporters of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri said ties between Riyadh and Beirut are strong, stressing he would not assess them based on the behavior of Hizbullah.

“Lebanese-Saudi relations are stronger than being evaluated by Hizbullah's behavior,” Asiri told the Saudi al-Riyadh daily published on Monday.