Saudi Arabia advised its citizens Tuesday against travel to Lebanon and urged those already in the country to leave it, citing “safety” concerns, a few days after it halted military aid to Lebanon over Hizbullah stances and recent diplomatic positions.

“The Foreign Ministry calls on all citizens not to travel to Lebanon for their own safety,” the Saudi news agency SPA quoted a ministry official as saying.

Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi slammed the government on Tuesday over a statement it issued a day earlier following a spat with Saudi Arabia over Lebanon's failure to support it against Iran.

“There is a big problem if we waste seven hours to write only seven lines,” Rifi said mockingly about the statement issued by the cabinet following an extraordinary session.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized the statement issued by the cabinet on Monday on Lebanon's crisis with Saudi Arabia, saying that it “failed to hit the nail on the head” regarding Hizbullah's involvement in foreign conflicts.

He said during a press conference on Tuesday: “The cabinet is better off resigning if it cannot properly resolve Hizbullah's fighting in conflicts abroad.”

Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri stressed on Tuesday that Lebanon is “stronger than the scheming taking place against it.”

He stated: “The sides that are seeking to tarnish ties between Beirut and Riyadh do not represent all the Lebanese people.”

The General Security Department announced on Tuesday the arrest of a Syrian man who has admitted to belonging to a terrorist organization.

The Syrian has also told investigators that he had fought alongside terrorist groups in Syria and had smuggled gunmen and wanted individuals from Syria to Lebanon, said the communique issued by the agency.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi backed on Tuesday a statement issued by the government to reassure Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states of Lebanon’s commitment to Arab unanimity.

“I support the statement of the cabinet. Lebanon has throughout its history been known as a country with friendly ties with all states,” said al-Rahi at Rafik Hariri International Airport before traveling to Rome.

Lebanon's capital will likely once again witness the piling of garbage on its streets if a substitute for the Karantina dumpster, which reached its maximum capacity, is not found, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday.

February 24 is the deadline when the waste contractor for Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon Sukleen will stop removing the trash from the streets after the disposal ground began to run out of space, as per Sukleen officials.

An Arab diplomatic source has said that the Lebanese government should issue an apology to Saudi Arabia before forming a ministerial delegation to tour Arab countries.

The source told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper published on Tuesday that Riyadh might not welcome the delegation led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam in case Beirut does not apologize for its failure to back Saudi Arabia in its spat with Iran.

French officials are hoping to stir the issue of the Saudi decision to halt military aid to Lebanon during the upcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef to Paris, although they have received promises not to break the contract on the delivery of French arms to the Lebanese army, a source said.

The French source told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat published on Tuesday that the crown prince, who is also interior minister, will visit France on March 4.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat held a meeting Monday with former president Michel Suleiman at his Yarze residence.

The meeting was also attended by the ministers who represent Suleiman in the cabinet – Samir Moqbel, Alice Shabtini and Abdul Mutalleb Hennawi – in addition to Minister Wael Abou Faour of the PSP and Hariri's adviser Nader Hariri.