DOHA, Qatar
Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country immediately, according to the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Kuwait is the third country after Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to instruct its citizens to leave Lebanon.
KUNA quoted a Foreign Ministry source citing “circumstances experienced by Lebanon” and taking “precautionary measure against any negative impact that might take place” as reasons for the move.
The source also urged citizens not to travel to Lebanon and included an emergency phone number for citizens in need of help.
Earlier Thursday, Saudi Arabia instructed its citizens residing in or visiting Lebanon to leave the country “as soon as possible”.
On Sunday, Bahrain called on all citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately.
The current developments come after Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri abruptly announced on Saturday his resignation in a televised address delivered from Riyadh.
In his resignation address, Hariri had criticized Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, accusing them of sowing “sedition” in the region and meddling in Arab affairs.
The resignation, however, has yet to be formally accepted by Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has demanded that Hariri -- who still appears to be in Saudi Arabia -- first return to Lebanon to clarify his position.
Hariri was appointed Lebanese prime minister late last year. Before Saturday’s resignation, he had led a 30-member government that included Hezbollah representatives.
Saudi Arabia, Hariri’s longtime backer, is Iran’s arch-foe in the region. While Riyadh supports Syria’s armed opposition, Iran and Hezbollah both support Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime.
Reporting by Ahmed el-Masry; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
