UAE announces full backing for Saudi Arabia's halt of arms deals with Lebanon

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced the UAE's full support for Saudi Arabia's decision to conduct a comprehensive review of its relations with Lebanon and halt its arms deals for the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces due to Lebanon's recent official positions including its failure to condemn Iran's aggression against the Saudi Embassy and Consulate in Iran.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision came after Lebanon repeatedly took negative, offensive and bizarre positions against pan-Arab consensus despite contact with the relevant Lebanese authorities.

"Lebanon's official position has been hijacked and turned against the interests of Lebanon itself and the interests of Arabs, something evident in the so-called Hezbollah's domineering and hijacking of Lebanon's official decision, which led to Lebanon taking a incongruous position that is against the pan-Arab interests.

Despite the historic and traditional support extended to Lebanon by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other members of the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf, despite these states' nurturing of Lebanese people as a genuine ingredient in the journey of development and prosperity in recent years, and despite the fact that these states stood by Lebanon during the hard circumstances it went through, we regret to see these negative trends that are not representative of the majority of the Lebanese people," the Ministry's statement said.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation added that in light of all this, the UAE fully supports the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt its aid to the Lebanese army and security forces and at the same time calls upon Lebanon and its people to restore Lebanon to the Arab Nation where it belongs away from the Iranian influences adopted by the so-called Hezbollah.