Saudi broadcaster MBC soon to shut office in Lebanon, relocate to Riyadh

Riyadh: As part of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's vision to turn the Kingdom into a regional business hub, the state-owned broadcaster MBC Group had decided to shut its office in Beirut in Lebanon to relocate it to Riyadh.

The MBC Group's decision is reported to have linked with the Kingdom's push to relocate all state-owned media and broadcasting companies to Saudi Arabia.

While the headquarters of MBC is currently in Dubai, the Lebanon branch was a prominent production office. The company has reportedly offered staff the choice of moving to Riyadh or resigning.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the office relocation coincided with a controversial remark over Saudi in connection with ongoing unrest in Yemen by the Lebanese information minister and a former MBC presenter George Kordahi.

When asked during an appearance on Barlamanasha3b TV what he thinks about the situation in Yemen, Kordahi said: "They (the Houthis) are defending themselves."

He added: "Are they attacking anyone? In my opinion, this Yemeni war is absurd and should stop."