Amid Lebanon crisis, France’s Macron flies to Riyadh to see crown prince

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on Thursday for hastily scheduled talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, notably over Lebanon and Yemen. Source ABC news

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait urge citizens to leave Lebanon

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry is calling on Saudi citizens and residents currently in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible and advised against traveling to the Mediterranean country. Source Gulf News

Saudi Ally El-Sisi Says Opposed to War With Iran, Hezbollah

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he was opposed to any war with Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, and that Gulf tensions should be handled cautiously to avoid adding to regional turmoil.El-Sisi’s comments come as Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption purge and a deepening feud with Iran prompt speculation that the region could be on the cusp of a new war. Source Bloomberg

Where’s Saad Hariri? Lebanon Wants to Know

Saad Hariri, the prime minister, who had previously shown no signs of planning to quit, unexpectedly flew to Saudi Arabia and announced his resignation from there, to the shock of his own close advisers. He has not been back since, and no one is sure when, or if, he is returning. Source The New York Times

Saudi security officer dead in 4th Qatif terror attack in 10 days

A security officer from the border guards died Thursday evening and his colleague was injured after they were shot by unknown assailants while performing their security duties. The incident took place a week after two security officers from the special emergency forces in Al-Musawara district in Qatif province died and six others were injured in consecutive terrorist attacks. Source Arab News

Coalition Spokesman: Iran provided Houthis with ballistic missiles

Spokesman of the Arab Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen Col. Turki Al-Maliki said on Sunday that the ballistic missile targeting Saudi Arabia is a hostile act. He stressed that the serious escalation by the Houthis has come due to Iranian support. Source Saudi Gazette

Iran, Syria Make Plans for Closer Military Cooperation

Iran and Syria are developing even closer defense ties as is evident in the recently concluded visit to Damascus by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, analysts say. Source: Voice of America