On Sunday, Bahrain’s state-run news agency said that the country had restored its ambassador-level diplomatic ties with Lebanon, according to the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry said that Bahrain had decided to resume its diplomatic contacts with Lebanon at the ambassador level to enhance the fraternal ties and mutual respect between the two nations and their people, as reported by the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

The move was praised by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Bahrain and some other Gulf Arab countries had withdrawn their ambassadors from Lebanon in 2021 when Lebanon’s former Information Minister George Kordahi voiced his support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen who are backed by Iran and denounced the Saudi-led military campaign.

In April 2022, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait re-established their relations with Lebanon.

The restoration of diplomatic links between Bahrain and Lebanon follows a series of strategic reconciliations in the region, such as Syria’s return to the Arab League after more than 10 years of isolation due to the civil war that started in 2011.

In a similar vein, Saudi Arabia and Iran, two regional powers, agreed to mend their bilateral ties in April through a deal mediated by China that was hailed as a diplomatic milestone by all parties.