DOHA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2023) The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Lebanon urged its nationals on Friday to quickly leave the territory of Lebanon against the background of protests on the third anniversary of the Beirut port bombing and refrain from attending the sites of protests.
"The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Republic of Lebanon recommends citizens not to stay close or approach areas where armed clashes are taking place, and asks them to leave Lebanese territory quickly and respect the decision to ban travel by Saudi nationals to Lebanon based on security concerns," the embassy said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Hundreds of the Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut on the third anniversary of the 2020 deadly explosion in the country's capital port, calling for justice and prosecution of those responsible, a Sputnik correspondent reported earlier on Friday.
On Thursday, on the eve of the third anniversary of the explosion, the UN-founded International Support Group for Lebanon called on the country's parliament to pass laws strengthening the independence of the judiciary system. Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad El-Mourtada told Sputnik that some forces were using the blast to settle political scores.
A powerful explosion occurred in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. At least 218 people died, and more than 6,000 were injured. Hundreds of houses and cars were destroyed or damaged. The authorities said that the explosion had resulted from the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate seized by customs in 2014 and stored in a warehouse. The Lebanese capital was declared a disaster area following the blast.
