Saudi Arabia-Lebanon Rift Triggered by Lebanese Official’s Remarks

Lebanese Information Minister Kordahi. (Wikipedia)

Saudi Arabia expelled the Lebanese ambassador and banned all imports from Lebanon in response to Lebanese criticism of the ongoing Saudi conflict in Yemen on October 19. Video footage of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi making critical comments on Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen against Houthi rebels began circulating online in late October. The footage was part of a televised interview that was recorded months before Kordahi was appointed minister. He also made sympathetic statements about the Houthis, portraying them as “defending themselves...against external aggression” and called for the war to end, stating that it was “futile.” 

In response to the leak, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations undertook retaliatory measures against Lebanon. All imports of Lebanese goods were banned from the kingdom, Saudi citizens were banned from traveling to Lebanon, and the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon was recalled. Other Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain all recalled their ambassadors from Lebanon as well to show solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its actions in neighboring Yemen. 

The current diplomatic rift is also symbolic of the broader geopolitical rivalries in the region, namely between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Minister Kordahi has the support of Iran-backed Hezbollah, a prominent Shiite Muslim political organization in Lebanon which opposes Saudi Arabian policy in the Middle East. One of Riyadh’s primary operations is the current civil war in Yemen, which is now entering its seventh year and is labeled by the United Nations as the “worst humanitarian crisis” in the world.

While other high-ranking government ministers were quick to dismiss Kordahi’s comments as not representing official Lebanese policy, the Saudi government was not as accepting of this claim. Along with its allies on the Gulf sea, Riyadh is continuing to apply pressure to Beirut in an attempt to send a strong message against support for Iran in the region. Meanwhile, pro-Saudi Lebanese figures called for Kordahi’s resignation and removal from government.

In the aftermath of the political controversy, Minister Kordahi clarified that these comments were his personal opinion and that they were made before he joined the current Lebanese government. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati attempted to calm the situation further by calling for reconciliation, stating that “We also appeal brotherly Arab leaders to work and help overcome this crisis in order to preserve Arab cohesion.”