The Saudi Arabian ambassador to Egypt left Cairo heading for Riyadh today in what critics believe is a result of an ongoing feud between the two countries over Syria.

Ambassador Ahmed Kattan left Cairo on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight days after Egypt backed a Russian supported UN Security Council resolution on Syria and failed to support the French-drafted bill which had Saudi’s backing.

Egypt’s Al-Ahram newspaper said Kattan was on a three-day trip to Riyadh however critics believe his sudden departure is a sign of a growing rift between the two countries which has seen Saudi’s national petrol company, Aramco, ceased deliveries to the north African country.

Egyptian authorities also recently removed concrete blocks which surrounded the Saudi embassy in Giza. They said the move had been coordinated with the embassy.