UAE calls on citizens not to travel to Lebanon

Warning follows similar moves by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain

A general view of downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2017. REUTERS/Jekaterina Saveljeva
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The Foreign Ministry has advised Emiratis against travelling to Lebanon, whether from the UAE or other countries.

The warning was posted on the ministry website on Friday.

The UAE joins fellow GCC states Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain in cautioning against travel to Lebanon following the resignation of Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri last Saturday.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain have also urged citizens in Lebanon to leave the country.

Dozens of men and women from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain were seen leaving Lebanon on Friday morning through Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, the Associated Press reported.

Mr Hariri's sudden resignation, for which he blamed the interference of Iran and Hizbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite movement, has created political uncertainty in Lebanon and raised fears of a a fresh outbreak of violence in the country.