On Tuesday, the municipality of Beirut held an official ceremony to mark the inauguration of the "King Salman Avenue" - a 1.3-kilometer street named after Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

The street is located in Downtown Beirut, stretching from the Four Seasons Hotel to the Zaitunay Bay area.

"Saudi Arabia has always been and will always be keen on Lebanon's safety, security, stability and national unity," said Walid al-Bukhari, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, according to Naharnet. 

"We laud the efforts of President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri in consolidating the pillars of peace despite the difficulties," he added.

Among those in attendance at the ceremony were Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.

 "This is a clear message that the Arabism of Lebanon overcomes all other loyalties," Hariri said.

"Between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia there is an unbreakable history, no matter how hard they try."

According to Gulf News, not all Lebanese parties and media praised the decision. The Lebanese daily Al Akhbar referred to the inauguration as an "insult" to the country.

In addition, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) of President Michel Aoun re-ran the editorial from Al Akhbar with a title: "The streets of Beirut on public auction."

In 2017, a boulevard was also named after Saudi's King Salman and opened in the city of Tripoli. The boulevard stretches 1,092 meters long and is 26 meters wide.

In 2005, Beirut's municipality named Beirut's new seaside corniche after late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz.

In Arab and international TV series, it's not uncommon for an onscreen couple to hug or kiss in specific scenes, but that's not the case when it comes to Khaleeji dramas.

GCC countries are considered ultra-conservative and for decades that has prevented Gulf filmmakers and actors from featuring any PDA between onscreen couples.

However, a Saudi TV series that has been airing on OSN network, seems to be shaking things up.

Titled A Cold Summer (Sayf Bared), the teledrama has been deemed controversial by thousands of viewers and was canceled for a short period of time before its episodes resumed airing again earlier last month.

Last week, a clip from one of the drama's episodes showing an onscreen hug between Saudi actors Nermin Mohsen and Shaifan Al Otaibi went viral online.

Soon after the snippet started circulating online, it sparked a social media storm, with thousands of angered viewers attacking the show's creators and actors who appeared in the scene.

Amid the backlash, many have called on OSN to cancel the run of the show. The network has not yet responded to the ongoing controversy.

"Nermin Mohsen!"

"We started hugging and kissing on TV!"

"If you did this in a TV series, what would you have done if you were acting in a film? Is this the message you want to send to viewers?"

"Nothing frustrates me more than Nermin Mohsen claiming she's Saudi in every one of her appearances. Everyone is defaming Saudi women nowadays." 

"It's not enough to cancel the show or stop it from airing, authorities must punish the series' director, producer, writer, and this actress, who keeps claiming that its episodes portray the lives of Saudi women." 

"I am going to die of laughter, you're upset because Nermin Mohsen hugged her costar in a scene? You don't even know anything about acting. What she did is the epitome of professionalism, she played her character and did everything written in the script even though it violates our stupid society's rules." 

A Cold Summer didn't have a smooth run on TV, to say the least. 

It was first broadcast under the title Saudi Women, as its plot is based on Saudi novelist Sarah Al Eliwi's novel of the same name. 

However, after backlash from Saudis who accused the series of defaming Saudi women, the name was changed.

Though it continues to generate high ratings, the show continues to be criticized by many.