Saudi Arabia says Lebanon has declared war on it

REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

A Hezbollah member reacts while Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah talks on a screen during a televised speech at a festival celebrating Resistance and Liberation Day, in Nabatiyeh May 24, 2015.

• Saudi Gulf affairs minister Thamer al-Sabhan announced on state-media that acts of "aggression" by Lebanese Hezbollah "were considered acts of a declaration of war."
• The statement comes amid Lebanon prime minister Saad al-Hariri's surprising resignation.

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that Lebanon had declared war against it because of attacks against the Kingdom by the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah.

Saudi Gulf affairs minister Thamer al-Sabhan told Al-Arabiya TV that Saad al-Hariri, who announced his resignation as Lebanon's prime minister on Saturday, had been told that acts of "aggression" by Hezbollah "were considered acts of a declaration of war against Saudi Arabia by Lebanon and by the Lebanese Party of the Devil."

"We will treat the government of Lebanon as a government declaring a war because of Hezbollah militias," Sabhan said, according to state-owned news channel Al Arabiya.

Sabhan's accusations reportedly included smuggling drugs and providing training for acts of terrorism.

Hariri's resignation came as a surprise for many, particularly when he made his announcement during a trip to Saudi Arabia. The country is politically split between Saudi Arabia loyalists and Iran, which is represented by Hezbollah.