Saudi Vows to Deport Anyone who 'Shows Support for Hizbullah'
Saudi Arabia vowed Sunday to deport any resident who “shows support” for Hizbullah or collaborates with it in any manner, warning that those involved in such activities would be prosecuted under the kingdom's anti-terror laws.
“The Ministry of Interior stresses that any citizen or resident who shows affiliation or support for the so-called Hizbullah group … will face harsh penalties according to the anti-terror laws and regulations,” the ministry said in a statement.
The measures also apply to those who “promote” Hizbullah's ideology and those who donate to the group or communicate with it, the ministry added, warning against offering refuge to any Hizbullah “member.”
“Any resident involved in such activities will be deported,” the Ministry of Interior cautioned.
The kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council have blacklisted Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization.
On Wednesday, the GCC discussed measures “that must be taken to confront Hizbullah,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced after a council meeting in Riyadh.
Asked about further Gulf sanctions against Hizbullah, Jubeir said the foreign ministers of the GCC had decided to look into measures that "would prevent Hizbullah from benefiting from GCC states."
The measures come amid an unprecedented strain in the relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia that Riyadh has attributed to “hostile” Lebanese diplomatic positions and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."
Saudi Arabia started a series of measures against Lebanon and Hizbullah on February 19 when it announced that it was halting around $4 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces.
The kingdom later slapped sanctions on individuals and firms accused of ties to Hizbullah and advised its citizens against travel to Lebanon while urging those already in the country to leave it.
It also pushed the GCC to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization over purported "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq."
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah hit back last Sunday, noting that “Saudi Arabia is angry because its bets in Syria and Yemen have failed.”
Y.R.
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