On Wednesday evening, Lebanese General Security prohibited Kuwaiti media personality, writer, and producer Fajr Al-Saeed from entering Lebanon upon her arrival at Beirut Airport. The General Security did not inform Al-Saeed of the reason for her ban, and she returned to Kuwait on a Middle East Airlines flight. The Kuwaiti embassy in Beirut was informally notified about the decision to ban their citizen, prompting the chargé d'affaires to go to the airport that night with a delegation from the embassy. He offered to escort Al-Saeed to the Kuwaiti embassy until the matter was clarified, but the General Security refused that request.
Discussions were held with the ministers of information and interior to resolve the issue, but without success, despite the ministers closely following the matter and putting in exceptional effort. It was reported that the former director general of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, had previously issued a memo banning Al-Saeed due to her anti-"Hezbollah" stance. Upon learning of her entry ban at the airport, Al-Saeed published a video message on social media explaining the details of her situation.
In a statement, the General Security's media office said: "Mrs. Fajr Al-Saeed, upon her arrival at Rafic Hariri International Airport coming from Kuwait, applied for a visa to enter Lebanon. After reviewing her documents, it was found that she is subject to a ban on entry." The statement further noted, "The procedures for the entry of Arabs and foreigners to Lebanon and their residence therein are exclusively the authority of the General Security Directorate according to the applicable laws. It is also the right of the parties concerned to appeal this directorate, either personally or through a representative, to reconsider any action taken if they present data and documents that allow for a reassessment of any action taken."
