Kuwait expels Lebanese diplomat in Yemen war row

Kuwait on Saturday ordered Lebanon's charge d'affaires to leave the country within 48 hours, in response to criticism by a Lebanese cabinet minister over the Saudi-led military intervention in the Yemen war.

Kuwait's official news agency KUNA cited a Foreign Ministry statement as saying the Gulf Arab state's ambassador to Beirut had also been recalled.

The decision came a day after Saudi Arabia and Bahrain ordered Lebanese ambassadors in their respective countries to leave for the same reason.

Riyadh has also summoned its ambassador to Beirut for consultations and stopped all imports from Lebanon.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday withdrew its diplomats from Lebanon in a move it said was to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

What did the Lebanese minister say?

Lebanon's Information Minister George Kordahi had described the war in Yemen as the result of "aggression" by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He added that the war is "absurd" and must stop because he is opposed to wars between Arabs.

Kordahi made the comments in a television interview with an affiliate of the Qatari news outlet Al-Jazeera before he was chosen for the role of ambassador in September.

Riyadh said it was "insulted" by comments, which only came to light this week after a video clip was widely shared on social media.

Saudi Arabia has led a military intervention against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015, in support of an internationally recognized government.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had earlier sought to reduce tensions by saying Kordahi's remarks did not reflect the Lebanese government's position, adding that they were "personal" remarks made prior to his appointment.

The move by Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states comes at a time when Mikati's cabinet is already in distress due to the country's financial crisis and an ongoing investigation into government negligence over the 2020 Beirut port explosion. 

Mikati has publicly sought better relations with wealthier Arab neighbors, and observers say the latest diplomatic dustup will put pressure on Kordahi to resign, something he has said he will not do.

After a crisis Cabinet meeting later Saturday, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib said Lebanon's international partners had asked Mikati not to step down to ease the rift.

Saudi Arabia: Hezbollah is 'controlling all Lebanese outlets' 

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said Friday the decision was made due to what it described as Lebanon's failure to stop attempts to smuggle drugs into the country through Lebanese products.

"The terrorist Hezbollah is controlling all Lebanese outlets," the ministry said in reference to the Lebanese movement allied with Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia.

Lebanon's former prime minister, Saad Hariri, on Friday, placed blame for Beirut's rift with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries squarely on the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

"The responsibility, first and foremost, in this regard, lies with Hezbollah, and its professed hostility towards the Arabs and the Arab Gulf states," said the Sunni politician in a tweet.

Hezbollah issued a statement of praise for Kordahi's comments on Thursday. Riyadh has accused Hezbollah of supporting the Yemeni rebels.

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite Islamist political party and militant group which was founded amid the turbulence of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. 

Lebanon is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis since the internal conflict.

This is an updated version of a previous article. 

mm, jsi/sri (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)