Yemen joins other Arab countries in recalling ambassador to Beirut

Yemen became the fifth Arab country to recall its Lebanese ambassador because of diplomatic tension between Beirut and Riyadh concerning remarks by the Lebanese Information Minister.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry said it summoned Abdullah Al-Deais for consultation because of remarks made by George Kordahi, according to a statement cited by the Yemeni official news agency, SABA.

The statement said Al-Deais handed a letter Wednesday from his government to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry about Kordahi's comments on the conflict in Yemen.

"The government and people of Yemen will continue to confront the Iranian project and its militias, and will be the safety valve for the Arab peninsula and the region in general," it added.

Prior to the Yemeni move, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors in protest of Kordahi's comments about the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen in a televised interview said to be recorded before he took his post in the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Asked if he "thinks that the Houthis, like Hezbollah, are defending their land as an armed organization," Kordahi responded: "Of course they are defending themselves ... My personal opinion is that this war in Yemen needs to end. Houses, buildings, villages, and cities are being attacked by fighter jets."

Kordahi said last week that he has no intention to apologize for his comments or resign but confirmed he is committed to the Lebanese government program and policies.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation and caused one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara