Saudi Arabia warns citizens not to travel to Lebanon, UAE follows suit

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned their people on Tuesday not to travel to Lebanon.

Riyadh warned on Tuesday its citizens not to travel to Lebanon and demands that all citizens residing or visiting Lebanon to leave the country, Saudi Press Agency reported.

A Saudi foreign ministry source said Saudis should not stay in Lebanon unless necessary, urging those who choose to stay to remain cautious.

The reason for the warning remains unclear. The move comes after Saudi Arabia announced late last week that it decided to cut a four-billion U.S. dollar military aid to Lebanon because of Hezbollah's hostile statements against the Kingdom.

Many anti-Hezbollah parties have called upon Saudi Arabia to reconsider the decision. Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam said this week he will head a ministerial delegation to visit Gulf states in the near future to discuss the aid cutoff.

Only hours after Saudi Arabia issued its travel warning, the UAE also issued a travel ban, which is effective immediately.

The UAE also decided to reduce the staff at its diplomatic missions in Lebanon to a "minimum level."

"The ministry will coordinate with relevant bodies to immediately implement the decision," said the report.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia, two key allies in the Gulf Arabian union GCC, have blamed Lebanon for being in the grip of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a major Shiite political player in the Levant state.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have labeled Hezbollah a "terrorist organization." Enditem