Bahrainis warned against travel to Lebanon

BAHRAIN has warned its nationals not to travel to Lebanon for their own safety after Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah came out in support of weeks of protests by mainly Shi’ite demonstrators.

The warning highlights growing tensions in the world’s largest oil-exporting region between Sunni-ruled Arab countries and non-Arab Shi’ite power Iran.

Bahrain has withdrawn its top diplomats from Iran in a protest over the Islamic Republic’s criticism of last week’s crackdown on mainly Shi’ite protesters in the island kingdom.