GCC Urges Lebanese Not to 'Drag Their Country into Syria Crisis'

The Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday called on the Lebanese parties not to drag their country “into the inferno of the Syrian crisis and its repercussions.”

During a meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the foreign ministers of the six GCC states discussed “the latest developments in Lebanon and stressed the importance of preserving its security, stability and sovereignty,” according to the closing statement.

They also called on “all Lebanese parties to put the higher national interest above all else and thwart the attempts to tamper with Lebanon’s security and stability and drag it into the inferno of the Syrian crisis and its repercussions.”

The GCC, comprised of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates was formed in 1981 as a security alliance to counter post-revolution Iran.

Syrian shells hit northern Lebanon on Saturday night hours after the Lebanese presidential palace announced that Syrian officials had vowed to hold accountable those responsible for cross-border shelling.

And on Thursday night a police officer was injured and several houses were damaged when around 30 shells landed on the Akkar towns and villages of Munjez, Kherbet al-Rumman, Aamar al-Baykat, al-Dbabiyeh and al-Noura.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned on Sunday that Lebanon was paying the price of the war in Syria and reiterated his country’s support for the Lebanese people.

The U.N. Security Council on Thursday also warned against attempts to destabilize Lebanon as it renewed the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the country for another year.

The renewal of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came amid mounting concerns about the impact of the 17-month-old war in Syria on its neighbor. More than 150,000 Syrians are said to have fled to Lebanon where factions for and against Syria's President Bashar Assad have fought deadly clashes, mainly in the northern city of Tripoli.

Lebanon has also been grappling with heightened security fears after a recent spate of kidnappings in retaliation for the abduction of Lebanese citizens in Syria.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain have ordered their nationals to leave the country immediately in the face of threats, particularly against Saudis and Qataris.