It follows last week’s GCC’s advisory urging citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon or staying there.
Ali bin Awad Asiri, the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, said it is important for all Saudis currently in Lebanon to go home. The embassy is in contact with the Saudi students and residents in Lebanon, he added.
Osama Alnaqli, media director at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, told Arab News: “The embassy is following up the situation closely. E-mails and SMSs have been sent to alert all holders of Saudi mobile numbers.”
Musaad Al Jarrah, the cultural attaché, told an Arabic daily: “We want to ensure our students’ safety.
“We understand that some students have to finish the requirements for their graduation and these will be allowed to stay in Lebanon. However, all the others will have to leave and we will be coordinating closely with them to make sure they are safe.”
Several students said they are “seriously concerned” about their situation in the country as it lives “through highly critical times.”
Malek Manjad, a final year student, said: “This is a crucial year for me and I would like to finish it quickly. I have to keep a low profile to ensure my safety and I will leave for Saudi Arabia as soon as I graduate.”
