'Pro-Saudi hackers' take over Lebanon government websites, threaten war

A hacking collective has breached several Lebanese government websites and posted a message threatening of war with Saudi Arabia.

The pro-Saudi hackers, which go by the name Bad Dream, on Sunday put up the threatening messages on the websites of the Lebanese ministry of foreign affairs and 20 of its embassies websites, The Hack Post reported.

"Decisive Storm is coming to Lebanon," a message posted on the hacked websites says - a reference to a Saudi-led military intervention in neighbouring Yemen to push back the Iran-backed rebels.

The hackers also posted an image of Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman above the threat and a disparaging image Hassan Nasrallah - the leader of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hizballah.

A message on the hackers Twitter page reads: "We do not pose a threat to internal security".

The hack comes as tensions have flared between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, including over Lebanon.

Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Iran, the predominant Shia power, are long-standing rivals based as much in geostrategic interests as religious differences.

Riyadh has been accused of orchestrating last weekend's resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in a televised address from Riyadh.

The shock announcement raised fears that Lebanon – split into rival camps led by Hariri and Hizballah – could once again descend into violence.

Last week, a high-level Saudi official said Lebanon has declared war on Saudi Arabia because of what he described as aggression by Hizballah.

The astounding claim was met with both ridicule and despair in Lebanon, including on social media, as the Saudi escalation is causing anxiety over the country's economy and the possibility of unrest in the small beleaguered nation.

Riyadh has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon "as soon as possible" a move that has further fuelled speculation of possible military action by the Saudis.