Snapchat just blocked Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

Snapchat just took center stage in the ongoing dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The social media platform has removed Qatari-funded Al Jazeera's Discover Publisher Channel at the request of the Saudi government.

"We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a spokesperson for Snapchat told Reuters on Sunday.

Despite Al Jazeera's website previously being blocked, Saudis could still view the media group's Snapchat content. Now that is no longer possible.

According to 2016 data compiled by Global Media Insight, Snapchat has well over 4 million users in the kingdom. The app is particularly popular with millennials as well as with those in their teens and early twenties.

Al Jazeera and other Qatari media have been blocked in Saudi Arabia since the end of May. The kingdom made the decision after controversial statements by Qatar's emir were published by the nation's official news agency. 

The emir allegedly voiced his support for Iran and groups designated as terrorists by Gulf Cooperation Council countries. In response, >Saudi Arabia and the UAE blocked Qatari media and have led a diplomatic and economic boycott of the emirate. Egypt and Bahrain joined the blockade as well.

Qatar maintains that its news agency was hacked and that the emir never said the reported comments.

A month later, the Saudi-led block >released 13 demands of Qatar, including requiring the emirate to permanently shutter Al Jazeera in order for sanctions to be lifted. Thus far, Qatar has refused to comply and the other Arab nations have appeared to soften somewhat on the demands.