UAE summons Lebanon envoy over minister's Yemen remarks

The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry yesterday summoned the Lebanese ambassador and handed him a letter of protest over comments made by Lebanon’s Information Minister, George Kordahi, about Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s involvement in the Yemen war.

In an official statement, the ministry described Kordahi’s comments as “disgraceful and biased”, adding that it had insulted the countries of the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen.

“The statements contradict diplomatic norms and the history of Lebanon’s relations with the countries of the Arab coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen,” the ministry stressed, adding that Kordahi’s remarks were reflecting Lebanon’s “growing distance from its Arab brothers”.

Kordahi said on Tuesday that the Iranian-backed Houthis were “defending themselves against Saudi Arabia and the UAE attacks on them”, describing the war as “futile”.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain summoned their Lebanese envoys in protest.

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