Saudi Arabia ends 5-year ban on Lebanese imports

Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday the end of a ban on Lebanese imports that had been in place for five years, marking a significant step in efforts to rebuild relations between Lebanon and Gulf states. The kingdom imposed a ban on Lebanese fruit and vegetable imports in 2021, saying they were being used to smuggle drugs. In one high-profile case, Saudi authorities said they had seized more than five million Captagon pills hidden inside a shipment of pomegranates arriving from Lebanon. Months later, Saudi Arabia expanded the ban to cover all Lebanese products after Lebanon’s then Information Minister, George Kordahi, publicly criticised the Saudi-led war against the Houthis in Yemen. The ban was imposed at a time when Lebanon’s economy […]