Kuwait expels 60 more Lebanese for alleged Hizballah links
Kuwait expels 60 more Lebanese for alleged Hizballah links
A second wave of deportations will expel 60 more Lebanese from Kuwait for their alleged links to Hizballah as Gulf States continue to step up pressure against Lebanon.
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An estimated 500,000 Lebanese live in the Arab Gulf [File Photo: Getty]
Sixty Lebanese will be deported from Kuwait for alleged links to Hizballah, in the latest Gulf Arab nudge against the group.
The permanent residents of the Gulf state will have their residency revoked and those classified as "dangerous cases" have been given just two days to leave the country, local al-Qabas Daily reported.
This is the second batch of deportations as Kuwait steps up the heat on Hizballah since Gulf Arab designated it as a "terrorist" group earlier this month.
Six people were forbidden from entering Kuwait, the residency permit of five others were not renewed and two others were given a month to leave the country for alleged links to the group.
The sanctioned individuals include business leaders and media figures who were "designated according to overwhelming evidence of their link to Hizballah".
Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Jarallah stated earlier that "anyone who is proven to be cooperating or supporting Hizballah will be placed under legal prosecution".
Figures suggest at least 500,000 Lebanese citizens live and work in the Gulf, mostly in professionals in sectors like medicine, finance, media and public relations. They send between $5 and $7 billion in remittances annually to their families back home.
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The strict measures have forced Lebanese expats living in the Gulf to delete their social media posts |  |
The strict measures have forced Lebanese expats living in the Gulf to delete their social media posts in an attempt to conceal any online trails that could be seen as glorification of Hizballah.
"I deleted lots of old posts that could have been misinterpreted and then I just got rid of all my accounts on social media. I am not going to risk losing my job over useless posts," a Lebanese expat living in Saudi Arabia told The New Arab.
"After they set up a hotline here for people to inform on suspected Hizballah supporters and sympathisers, lots of Lebanese have begun to delete posts and pictures online that display their religious and political affiliations," the expat said, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
He added that Lebanese suspected of being pro-Hizballah are summoned for questioning by police and their financial records put under investigation.
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