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Saudi Arabia lifts 5-year ban on Lebanese
imports, marking a thaw in Gulf-Lebanon ties
[June 11, 2026]
BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday the end of a ban
it imposed on Lebanese imports five years ago, marking a major step in
attempts to rebuild relations between Lebanon and Gulf countries.
The kingdom slapped a ban on Lebanese fruits and vegetables in 2021,
saying they were being used to smuggle drugs. In one notable case, Saudi
Arabia announced it had seized over 5 million pills of the amphetamine
drug Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates coming from Lebanon. |
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Saudi's
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accompanies Lebanese President Joseph
Aoun, left, upon his arrival to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, March 3, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP, File) |
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Months later, the wealthy Gulf country extended the ban to all
Lebanese products after Lebanon's then- Information Minister
George Kordahi publicly criticized Saudi Arabia's war against
Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
At the root of the diplomatic crisis was Saudi Arabia's regional
rivalry with Iran and its displeasure with the influence of the
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The ban came at
a time when Lebanon's economy was already reeling from a major
financial crisis and the collapse of its currency.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday
that the reversal of the ban at the order of Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman came as a result of “positive steps taken by
the Lebanese state.”
It did not specify what those steps were, but over the past
year, the Lebanese government has announced plans to disarm all
non-state groups, including Hezbollah. Before the outbreak of
the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, the Lebanese army had made
progress on implementing the plan in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a statement thanked bin Salman
for the decision, which he said “will contribute tangibly to
reviving the national economy and providing support to broad
segments of Lebanese producers and exporters.”
The current government of Lebanon, which came to power last year
with promises of reform, has sought to rebuild ties with the
Gulf countries. Before the outbreak of the latest war, Lebanese
officials were courting Gulf tourists to return to the country
in hopes of reviving the economy, and some Gulf countries had
lifted travel bans preventing their citizens from visiting
Lebanon.
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