The Lebanese foreign ministry was notified Monday that Bahrain has expelled six Lebanese, mainly Shiite Muslims, over security concerns, the local media reported, reported dpa.
"Since last week the total number of Lebanese expelled from Bahrain is 16," Lebanon's ambassador to Bahrain, Aziz Kazzi, told the Voice of Free Lebanon Radio Station.
According to Kazzi the authorities in Bahrain said the Lebanese were expelled for "security reasons."
"The Bahraini authorities did not present any official explanation for the expulsion, because they believe that they have the right to take decisions that protect the country's safety and security," he added.
The measures against the Lebanese living and working in Bahrain came after Bahrain's foreign minister accused Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah of backing and training Bahraini Shiites who were protesting last month against the Sunni monarchy in Manama.
On March 16, Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah lashed out at the Arab military intervention in Bahrain, saying "it would hamper efforts at finding a peaceful solution to a pro-democracy uprising in the kingdom."
He was referring to the deployment of more than 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and 500 police from the United Arab Emirates in Bahrain to quell the anti-government protests.
On March 23, Bahrain halted all its flights to Beirut in protest over Nasrallah's remarks.
At least 1,500 Lebanese live and work in Bahrain, according to the the foreign ministry in Beirut.