Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Lebanese officials have decided to impose a ban on Bahraini opposition groups intending to hold two events in the country, amid a diplomatic rift pitting Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies against Lebanon over Beirut’s criticism of the Riyadh-led war on Yemen.
According to Press TV, on Thursday, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he was banning “two events” organized by Bahraini opposition figures, which were due to take place on Friday and next Monday.
“If these two events were to take place, they would undermine official Bahraini authorities and Persian Gulf Arab states, thus blocking efforts by Lebanon to boost ties with these countries,” Mawlawi said in a statement.
According to Mawlawi, the events had been scheduled to take place in a hotel near Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport in the capital’s southern suburbs.
In October last year, Lebanon’s Information Minister George Kordahi angered Riyadh and its Persian Gulf allies by describing the Saudi-led war on Yemen as “futile” in an online show affiliated with Qatar’s al-Jazeera television network, adding that the Yemeni Armed Forces are successfully defending the state.
Saudi officials immediately responded by recalling the kingdom’s ambassador from Beirut and banning all Lebanese imports. The response was supported by Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
As Saudi pressure built on his country, Kordahi eventually announced his resignation in December 2021 and said he had decided to put Lebanon’s national interests above “personal” preferences.
Kordahi, a popular former Lebanese game show host, had made the critical remarks before being appointed as the information minister.
