DEVELOPING: Saudi Arabia has ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon “immediately,” according to the Saudi state news agency.
What….?
Uh oh.
Daily Star piece has one line now; I assume they’ll update it as more information comes in.
Yup, they updated it.
Ambassador Ali Awad al-Asiri, who is in Mecca, told the National News Agency that he requested that all Saudi nationals in Lebanon leave the country after “the threats have become open.”
Asiri was referring to threats earlier in the day by the Meqdad clan, which said it could take action against Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey over the kidnapping of one its members earlier this week in Syria.
The Meqdad clan said Wednesday it abducted over 30 individuals it described as belonging to the Free Syrian Army, which it claims was behind the kidnapping of their relative, Hassan Meqdad, Monday.
The family held Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia responsible for the kidnappings given their backing to Syrian rebels. The family also held the Lebanese government responsible for not putting enough efforts to release their kin.
The Saudi Ambassador told the NNA that he had also requested that all Saudi nationals not visit the country “given the current circumstances.”
He also denied any knowledge “of Saudi nationals having been kidnapped in Lebanon.”
(Source: reuters)
