Saudi Arabia, other Middle East countries warn citizens after protests erupt in Lebanon

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Protesters clash with police on the streets of Lebanon. (AP)
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A demonstrator wears a face mask as he walks near burning tires during a protest over deteriorating economic situation in Jdeideh, Lebanon October 18, 2019. (Reuters)
Updated 19 October 2019
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Saudi Arabia, other Middle East countries warn citizens after protests erupt in Lebanon

  • Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on citizens to avoid protest areas
  • Kuwait’s embassy in Lebanon asked citizens wishing to travel to Lebanon to postpone their plans

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Beirut on Friday warned its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, and called on Saudi nationals already in the country to avoid protest areas. 

The Kingdom’s embassy in Beirut advised its nationals to be extremely cautious and to “stay away from places of protest,” Al-Ekhbariya news channel reported. 

It also announced that the Lancaster Plaza Beirut hotel in the capital's Raouche neighborhood is a gathering point from which Saudi nationals can be transported to Beirut airport. 

Egypt’s embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut also called on its nationals in the country to avoid protest areas, Egyptian state news agency MENA said.

“The embassy calls on all Egyptian citizens in Lebanon to avoid the areas of gatherings and protests, to be careful in their movements and to abide by the instructions of the Lebanese authorities in this regard,” MENA said.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s embassy in Lebanon asked citizens wishing to travel to Lebanon to wait because of the current protests and unrest.

“The embassy also calls on citizens currently in Lebanon to take utmost care and stay away from crowds and demonstrations,” the embassy said in its tweet.

Bahrain warned against travel to Lebanon and called on its citizens in the country to leave immediately.  

Protesters across Lebanon blocked roads with burning tires on Friday and thousands marched in Beirut, calling on the government to resign over an economic crisis.

 


Iran’s foreign minister heads to Muscat for nuclear talks with US

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. (File/AFP)
Updated 06 February 2026
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Iran’s foreign minister heads to Muscat for nuclear talks with US

  • Iran will engage in ‌the talks “with authority ‍and with ‍the aim of reaching a fair, ‍mutually acceptable and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue,” a spokesperson said

TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has departed for the Omani capital ​Muscat at the head of a diplomatic delegation for nuclear talks with the US due to be held on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.
The US and Iran ‌have agreed ‌to hold ‌talks ⁠in ​Oman ‌on Friday, officials for both sides said, even as they remain at odds over Washington’s insistence that negotiations must include Tehran’s missile arsenal and Iran’s vow to discuss ⁠only its nuclear program.
Iran will engage in ‌the talks “with authority ‍and with ‍the aim of reaching a fair, ‍mutually acceptable and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue,” the spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Thursday.
“We hope the ​American side will also participate in this process with responsibility, ⁠realism and seriousness,” Baghaei added.