Bahrain Expels More Lebanese, No Info on Similar Measures in other GCC Countries

Bahrain expelled 5 more Lebanese citizens on Monday, As Safir newspaper said, raising the total number of those asked to leave the kingdom to 24.

But Lebanon’s Ambassador to Manama, Aziz al-Qazzi, told LBCI TV network on Tuesday that only 19 Lebanese have so far been expelled from Bahrain without any justification.

“We have no confirmation whether similar measures have been taken in the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,” he said.

Al-Qazzi told LBC that he was exerting efforts to prevent more expulsions and trying to urge the Bahraini authorities to limit entry hardship to the Lebanese.

A foreign ministry source told As Safir that at least 14 of those expelled from Bahrain are Shiites. Among them are women.

The newspaper said that Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami will contact his Bahraini counterpart on Tuesday to inquire about the reasons behind the expulsions.

Some of those expelled told As Safir that they were summoned by the Bahraini interior ministry’s immigration bureau and were asked to sign a pledge to leave the country within 48 hours. The officials didn’t give any reason for their decision, they said.

The news came after Bahrain's foreign minister accused Hizbullah of backing Shiite protesters against the Sunni monarchy.