Bahrain warns citizens against travel to Lebanon
AFP
MANAMA- Bahrain on Tuesday warned its citizens against travel to Lebanon following comments by the head of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah on the Shiite-led protests in the Gulf kingdom.
"Due to threats and interference by terrorists," the foreign ministry said, "it warns and advises its citizens not to travel to the Republic of Lebanon as they might face dangers threatening their safety."
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, on Saturday pledged support for the Arab uprisings in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, saying his movement could provide unspecified help.
"We are here to tell them: 'We are with you, we support you... We are ready to come to your aid in your best interests and ours, to the best of our ability'," he told a crowd in Beirut.
On Sunday, Sunni-ruled Bahrain hit back by branding Hezbollah a "terrorist organisation" and slammed Nasrallah's comments as "blatant interference," warning they could damage Lebanon's interests in the Gulf.
Security forces in Bahrain on March 16 crushed a month-long pro-democracy protest at Manama's Pearl Square.
Fifteen Bahraini Shiites have been killed since the protests erupted last month, according to a toll from Bahrain's main Shiite bloc, Al-Wefaq. The interior ministry has reported the deaths of four policemen.
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