Parliament speaker says Lebanon 'facing siege' as Beirut orders Bahrain opposition expelled

Lebanon is under a diplomatic siege by Arab countries, the nation's parliamentary speaker said Wednesday amid an ongoing dispute with Gulf states.

Nabih Berri asked how Arab states can accommodate Israel but "close their gates in front of Lebanon who paid a heavy price to preserve its Arab identity".

"Yes, Lebanon is facing a siege. In order to reach solutions, there must be dialogue," Berri was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency.

The speaker's remarks came as he met Joseph Qossaifi, the Lebanese Editors-in-Chief Syndicate leader.

Lebanon's ties with Gulf Arab nations have deteriorated since contentious comments made by former information minister George Kordahi about the role of Gulf countries in Yemen's war came to light in October.

Outraged by Kordahi's remarks, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait removed their envoys to Beirut.

Kordahi quit as information minister nearly two weeks ago, seeking to ease Lebanon's tensions with the Gulf.

Lebanon hopes to smooth over ties with Gulf countries quickly, as it desperately needs foreign assistance to overcome its political and economic crises.

Its currency's exchange rate is plummeting, power outages are frequent, and about 80 percent of the population now lives in poverty.

Beirut on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of Bahraini opposition figures after they held a press conference in the Lebanese capital last week that irked Manama, Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said.

Al-Wefaq was Bahrain's leading opposition party until the judiciary dissolved it in 2016. It is banned from operating in Bahrain. The party has close links with Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah.

At the press conference, Al-Wefaq denounced what it said were human rights violations in Bahrain, local media reported.

In response, Bahrain's government denounced "the promotion of malicious allegations and causing harm to the Kingdom of Bahrain", according to NNA.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Wednesday directed security officials "to take the measures necessary to expel from Lebanon the non-Lebanese members" of Al-Wefaq, it added.