Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari. (Credit: NNA/File)
BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Tuesday canceled a visit to al-Faour village in the Bekaa "for security reasons."
"I canceled my visit to the al-Faour village due to security concerns. I thank the inhabitants of al-Faour ... for their understanding and for issuing a statement clarifying what happened," Bukhari tweeted.
قطعت زيارتي المقررة لبلدة الفاعور لأسباب أمنية، و أشكر أهالي الفاعور بشيوخها ووجهائها وبلدياتها ومخاتيرها وشبابها على كريم تفهمهم وإصدارهم بيانًا يوضح حقيقة ما حصل.
— Waleed A. Bukhari (@bukhariwaleeed) November 1, 2022
According to an article by Mulhak news outlet shared by Bukhari on Twitter, the Saudi ambassador was preparing to meet with the tribes of al-Faour village during his Bekaa tour on Tuesday. However, his security team made the decision to cancel the visit after arriving to the village and receiving information on tensions between tribes in the area, according to Mulhak.
According to a video shared by our correspondent in the region after the ambassador's cancelation, the tribes appeared to be angry, and one representative said the ambassador had "disrespected" them. Another representative called on Saudi's King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to replace the ambassador.
Hezbollah's TV channel Al-Manar said that the reason for the visit's cancelation is that Bukhari refused to abide by the tribal rituals, which included him stepping out of his car upon his arrival to town, which caused a verbal spat between some of the tribe's members and Bukhari's security team.
In a statement released by the tribes later that day, the tribes said that the crowd "was excited to receive the ambassador in a tribal way, as senior guests in al-Faour are usually hosted, and it seems this raised questions among the security team [of Bukhari.]" The statement, however, affirmed that what happened is "a misunderstanding" and that Saudi Arabia "is our Arabic and Islamic reference."
After a meeting with local and religious dignitaries during his tour in the Bekaa on Tuesday, Bukhari said that the "Lebanese-Saudi relations will improve after the formation of a new government and the election of a sovereignist and moderate president who can regain the confidence of Arabia and the countries concerned with the Lebanese file."
Foreign countries including Saudi Arabia have previously promised to assist Lebanon financially if the country reaches a deal with the International Monetary Fund, which is conditioned by key reforms that Lebanon is yet to implement.
Additional reporting by Sarah Abdallah