Kuwait to deport 60 Lebanese for Hezbollah links

Kuwait City — Kuwait is to deport 60 Lebanese for links to Hezbollah in the latest Gulf Arab move against the Shiite militant group, a newspaper reported on Monday. Those to be deported all had permanent residency which has been revoked, Al-Qabas daily said. Those classified as “dangerous cases” were given just two days to leave the country, it added. It is the second wave of deportations from Kuwait reported since Gulf Arab states blacklisted Hezbollah as a “terrorist” group earlier this month. Last week, Al-Qabas reported that 11 Lebanese and three Iraqis had been deported for alleged links to the group. Around 50,000 Lebanese live and work in the emirate, providing remittances that are vital to the domestic economy. The terror blacklisting was the latest step taken by Gulf states. Last month, Saudi Arabia halted a $3 billion program of military aid to Lebanon to protest what it said was “the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the state.” It also urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid traveling there. Qatar and Kuwait followed with similar travel advisories, while the United Arab Emirates banned its nationals from travel to Lebanon. Hezbollah is fighting in support of the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Other Gulf states have also taken measures against alleged Hezbollah supporters since the terror blacklisting. Bahrain said it had deported several Lebanese residents for links to the group. Saudi security forces arrested a Shiite preacher accused of glorifying the group, Al-Watan newspaper reported last week. And the United Arab Emirates has reportedly put seven people on trial for forming a cell linked to Hezbollah. — AFP