Saudi Arabia advises citizens to leave Lebanon

Beirut, Nov 22:

has called on its citizens to leave

following media reports linking the kingdom to the recent twin blasts that targetted the Iranian embassy.

"Considering the security situation at the moment and the media campaign, the embassy advises citizens to return home, and advises caution," reported Xinhua citing Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri in a statement.

According to Ali, the Saudi embassy sent a text message to Saudi citizens in Lebanon, advising them to leave.

The warning came two days after the twin suicide bombings killed 25 people and injured more than 150 near the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburb, a stronghold of the military party of Hezbollah.

An Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Abdullah Azzam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was aimed at pressuring Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.

IANS