Kuwait protests to Lebanon over Hizbollah support of 'terror cell'

A memo sent to the Lebanese government said the Shiite militant group provided funds, weapons and training of cell members 'with the aim of destroying the basic infrastructure of the state of Kuwait'

Hizbollah fighters are seen attending the funeral of a comrade who died in combat in Syria on March 18, 2017. Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP

Kuwait has delivered a "memo of protest" to the Lebanese government over Hizbollah's alleged training of 21 Shiites convicted last month on charges of forming a "terror cell" in the country.

Kuwait's ambassador to Lebanon, who delivered the memo late on Friday, said it called on Beirut to take measures to deter such "heinous" practices by Hizbollah, according to the official Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).

The Shiite militant group has ministers in the Lebanese government.

The memo said Kuwait's court of cassation had found that Hizbollah was involved in "intelligence, coordination of meetings, payment of funds and provision of weapons and training on Lebanese territory" for the defendants, "with the aim of destroying the basic infrastructure of the state of Kuwait".

It was delivered a day after Kuwait expelled 15 Iranian diplomats over Tehran's alleged links to those convicted.

Unlike neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Kuwait maintains diplomatic relations with Iran.

* Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse