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"We
call upon the competent Lebanese authorities to undertake the
necessary legal procedures regarding the terrorist threats,"
Bukhari said following a meeting with Lebanon's interior
minister.
Lebanese and Saudi authorities say the person behind the
recorded threats was a Saudi man named Ali Hashem. Reuters could
not independently confirm the information and was not able to
contact the man.
Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi last week asked
security forces to probe the recorded death threats out of
"concern for Lebanon's interest and security and good relations
with brotherly nations, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Some Lebanese officials have tried to improve ties with Saudi
Arabia, once a major donor, after years of tension over the
growing influence in Lebanon of Hezbollah, which is classified
by both Riyadh and the United States as a terrorist group.
Relations hit a low last year when Saudi Arabia banned imports
of Lebanese goods over drug smuggling concerns and then recalled
its ambassador after critical comments by a pro-Hezbollah
minister. The ambassador has since returned.
Bukhari called on Lebanese security forces to continue cracking
down on illicit drug smuggling to Saudi Arabia, noting the
kingdom has seized 700 million narcotic pills and hundreds of
kilos of hashish smuggled from or via Lebanon since 2015.
(Reporting by Timour Azhari; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
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