UAE, Saudis summon Lebanon ambassadors over FM's comments
Published Tue May 18 2021 19:36:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have summoned their Lebanese ambassadors The moves come in protest of televised remarks by Lebanon’s foreign minister, Charbel Wehbe, who suggested that Gulf countries provided backing to extremists. The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Saudi Arabia, asked that Wehbe offer a formal apology to member states. Wehbe’s comments to the U.S.-backed Alhurra news channel caused a firestorm in Lebanon and among Gulf countries. They came amid already tense relations between Lebanon and traditional ally Saudi Arabia. Only last month, Saudi Arabia banned produce from Lebanon after unveiling a large shipment of amphetamine pills smuggled inside pomegranates.