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.