Saudi Arabia orders citizens out of Lebanon over Iran connections

Saudi Arabia ordered all of its citizens to leave Lebanon on Thursday amid escalating tension between the two nations over Iranian influence. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned earlier this week while on a trip to Saudi Arabia. Since then, Hariri has not returned to Lebanon, and there are questions about whether he is free to do so. Friends in Hariri’s political party, which has historically aligned with Saudi Arabia, demanded his return Thursday. Saudi Arabia has called on the Lebanese government to limit the influence of Hezbollah, an Islamist political party that receives support from Iran. Enmity between Saudi Arabia and Iran is becoming an increasingly urgent concern in the Middle East, particularly after Yemen fired a ballistic missile toward the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that the missile, which was shot down, was obviously Iranian. Macron plans to fly to Saudi Arabia today to discuss Iran and Yemen with the crown prince.