Bahrain on Monday announced it had deported several Lebanese for Hezbollah links, the Gulf state's Interior Ministry said in a tweet on Monday.

The move came after Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it will deport anyone sympathizing with the militant Hezbollah group after the Arab League declared the movement as “terrorist,” Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

An Interior Ministry statement carried by the state news agency SPA said that Saudis and expatriates would be subjected to “severe penalties” under the kingdom's regulations and anti-terrorism laws.

The Arab League on Friday formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization, a move that raises concerns of deepening divisions among Arab countries and ramps up the pressure on the Shiite group, which is fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The Arab League’s decision followed the blacklisting of Hezbollah by Gulf states.

Shiite-led uprising

Dozens of people have been put on trial and handed lengthy jail terms in Sunni-ruled Bahrain - shaken by unrest since it quelled a month-long Shiite-led uprising demanding reforms five years ago.

The first defendant was arrested in the Shiite village of Sitra where police found “firearms and explosives” in his apartment, said prosecutor Ahmed al-Hammadi.

He said the man was planning to use the weapons to carry out a “terrorist” plot.

The other two were jailed for their involvement in the same case.

Bahrain last week jailed three people for life and sentenced another to 15 years for attacking a bus during a protest in a Shiite village two years ago.

Tiny but strategic Bahrain, which is connected to regional Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.

Despite the crackdown on the 2011 uprising, protesters continue to clash frequently with police in Shiite villages outside the capital Manama.

(With AFP)

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:50 - GMT 06:50