Lebanon’s political standoff

The announcement came after a Saudi diplomat’s car was hit by gunfire over the weekend. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador also says there have been dozens of threats against its embassy. Recently others countries also issues a travel warning for Lebanon. Kuwait says its embassy has also been threatened. But the pretext of security concerns is a good way to send a political message, says this analyst who doesn’t think Saudis living in Lebanon are not actually at risk. He says Saudi is upping the ante for Sunni dominance in the Middle East. Still there are legitimate concerns about security in Lebanon. Tensions have also risen because of an Arab Summit scheduled later this month in Syria and Saudi Arabia has yet to receive a formal invitation. This analyst contends Riyadh is genuinely concerned about its security in Lebanon. But recent events lend support to the notion that there’s more going on than security concerns. Last week a Saudi business group revealed that investments were being taken out of Lebanon. This economist doesn’t believe that’s likely and thinks the announcement is more just a warning. Saudi Arabia’s travel ban could have an impact on Lebanon’s tourism industry but could hurt Saudi Arabia as well.