Lebanon to deport members of Bahrain opposition

BEIRUT - Lebanon's interior minister on Wednesday ordered the deportation of non-Lebanese members of Bahrain's dissolved opposition al-Wefaq group after some of them criticised the Gulf Arab kingdom at a news conference in Beirut.

Lebanon became enmeshed in a major diplomatic dispute with the Gulf last month after former information minister George Kordahi criticised Saudi Arabia over the Yemen war.

Bahrain' interior minister, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, had earlier on Wednesday called his Lebanese counterpart, Bassam Mawlawi, to tell him that events such as the Wefaq news conference, or Kordahi's comments, "harm Lebanon and its people", a statement from Bahrain's interior ministry said.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, whose leaders met on Tuesday in Riyadh, condemned the news conference held by "a terrorist organization with support from the terrorist Hezbollah" and voiced support for Bahrain in "any measures it takes to protect its security and stability".

At its news conference, Wefaq released a report detailing what it said were rights abuses in Bahrain from 2019 to mid 2021.

Gulf monarchies have been alarmed by the rising influence of Lebanon's armed Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran have long battled for influence in the region, including in Lebanon, which is struggling with a deep economic crisis.

Bahrain's Wefaq did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bahrain has kept a tight lid on dissent since a Shiite-led uprising in 2011 was quelled with the help of Saudi Arabia. The government denies discrimination against Shi'ites and accuses Iran of stoking unrest, a charge which Tehran denies.

In 2017, courts in Bahrain, where the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is based, dissolved the main opposition groups Wefaq and the National Democratic Action Society (Waad), accusing them of helping to foster violence and terrorism.

Both groups have campaigned for social and political reforms in Bahrain.