Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Saudi Envoy to Lebanon Threatened | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Abdulaziz Khoja, quit his post last week, 17 August, following warnings of an attack. The ambassador told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had been alerted by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry of, “a threat of attack against the ambassador’s residence, the embassy or other Saudi interests in Lebanon,” he said. “There were threats against [the] Saudi embassy and against my person,” he stated.

However, this does not mark a first for the Saudi ambassador who has previously received four or five different threats. According to high-level sources in Saudi Arabia, “the ambassador is currently in Riyadh on holiday for a few days and is consulting with the leadership,” furthermore confirming that he had received direct threats recently.

According to informed sources, it is easy to guess which parties are involved in the scheming, however the danger lies in not knowing which among the terrorists groups in Lebanon would execute such an operation.

In a phone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Khoja expressed reservations about disclosing the details of the threats for security reasons, however he said, “the situation and events there are susceptible [to threats], and any party may be responsible.”

He confirmed that he was on holiday, “We are in August and I’m spending approximately 10 days to visit officials, in addition to visiting Mecca and Medina and friends and family,” he said.

He added that, “presently, the Lebanese presidential elections are the main focus. There is no news as of yet. We have not [heard] from France or America or any other party concerning any developments to the situation.”