BEIRUT: The Gulf Cooperation Council declared Hezbollah a "terrorist organization" Wednesday in an unprecedented move signalling a further deterioration of Lebanon-Gulf ties.

The move comes one day after Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah ripped into Saudi Arabia over its recent moves targeting Lebanon, and accused the oil-rich kingdom for the first time of direct responsibility over car bomb attacks in the country.

Last week, five out of six GCC countries issued travel warnings against Lebanon and urged their citizens to leave the country, citing safety concerns.

In his televised speech Tuesday, Nasrallah rejected the notion that Lebanon was unsafe and described the Gulf moves as a campaign to pressure the country into silencing Hezbollah over its criticisms of Riyadh.

More to follow...