Alwaght- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have ordered their citizens to either leave or avoid visiting Lebanon in an escalation of tensions in Lebanese-Gulf ties after Riyadh suspended a $4 billion aid package to the country�s security forces. This latest joint move by Persian-Gulf states is a recapitulation of an already established plan to strike the axis of resistance.

The Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement on Tuesday calling on "all citizens not to travel to Lebanon, for their safety, and asking citizens residing in Lebanon or visiting not to stay unless extremely necessary".

After Riyadh issued travel warnings against Lebanon citing security issues, Bahrain followed suit while the UAE went as far as banning its citizens completely without providing a reason.

The decision was announced on Tuesday after Riyadh halted $4bn in aid to Lebanese security forces in response to alleged "hostile" positions linked to the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah.

Last week, an official declared that the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the state".

The acceleration of the pressure being imposed on Lebanon by the Saudi regime, hence, is part of the strategy to exert weight over Hezbollah�s position in the country. Having failed to terrorize the resistance�s support base through suicide bombings, and with Hezbollah fighters gaining victories in Syria alongside the Syrian army against foreign-backed terrorist groups, the Saudi monarchy is now trying to corner the Lebanese resistance in its own terrain.

Since the beginning of the war on Syria, the Lebanese government has maintained a no-interference policy. The Lebanese army, meanwhile, has long preserved agreeable relations with Hezbollah�with the two forces being committed to defending Lebanon�and has not inhibited the resistance group�s activities along the border with Syria.

When the Saudi regime announced its aid package to be granted to the Lebanese army and security forces, it was wagering on shifting the government�s stance with regards to Hezbollah, Syria and Iran�the three of which comprise the resistance axis in the region.

Somewhere along the way, the Saudis came to the conclusion that Beirut was not going to fall into their trap and collaborate against Hezbollah. Neither will the Lebanese military, led by Commander in Chief Jean Kahwaji, trade the country�s safety and unity for a few billion-dollars-worth of French equipment and ammunition bought with Saudi petrodollars. This in turn led to the cancellation of the grant.

The Saudi regime and its allies are consequently severing ties with the countries that comprise the resistance axis; first Syria, then Iran, and now Lebanon. These same countries have history on their side to testify for their struggle against the Israeli regime in their quest for the liberation of Palestine. On the other hand, Persian-Gulf states have only verbally supported the Palestinian cause and instead have engaged in negotiations and plots with Tel Aviv; neglecting the duty they have as Arabs to defend occupied Palestine. When it comes to Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain are all words and no action, if anything they are working against the interests of the region to fulfill their own by launching a multi-faceted war against the axis of resistance.

By Alwaght