Bahrain orders citizens to ‘immediately leave’ Lebanon

Bahrain has ordered all its citizens in Lebanon to “leave immediately” in the wake of Saad Hariri’s abrupt resignation as the Lebanese prime minister, which was announced from Saudi Arabia.

In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said, “Due to the current conditions and developments in Lebanon, the foreign ministry asks citizens present in Lebanon to leave immediately and exercise extreme caution.”

The ministry also urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon “for their own safety and to avoid any dangers they might encounter.” Manama gave no further details on the nature of any threat.

Bahrain is a bellwether state in the Saudi Arabia-dominated Persian Gulf Cooperation Council to announce sanctions and travel bans, usually targeting countries seen as unfriendly to the Riyadh regime.