HARIRI RETURNS HOME AND TO POWER.

• In a stunning reversal, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri walked back his resignation on Wednesday, ending an international drama that threatened to tear his country apart.

The reversal capped a dramatic two-and-a-half weeks that saw Hariri resign suddenly from Riyadh on Nov. 4, then travel to Paris, Egypt, and Cyprus, before finally returning home on the eve of Lebanon’s 74th Independence Day celebrations.

Hariri’s decision to stay on, provisionally at least, is an embarrassment to Riyadh, which is widely seen as having orchestrated the resignation.

But the kingdom’s increasingly activist leadership — led by the 32-yearold crown prince who is spearheading the kingdom’s foreign policy — can take solace in having revived the conversation about the formidable influence wielded in Lebanon by the Iranianbacked militant group Hezbollah.

President Michel Aoun received Hariri with a warm embrace at the military parade on Wednesday morning. Aoun had earlier said he would not accept Hariri’s resignation until the prime minister presented it in person. Wednesday was the first opportunity for face-toface talks.

Hariri later said he presented his resignation, but was asked by Aoun to retract it and allow time for consultations. He acquiesced and said he was looking forward to a “real partnership with all political forces to put Lebanon’s higher interests before any others.”

The reversal highlights the latest Saudi foreign policy overreach under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seen as being behind most of the kingdom’s major decisions.

When he resigned, in an uncomfortable, televised statement from Riyadh, Hariri said he was protesting what he called meddling in Arab affairs by Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a partner in the coalition government Hariri formed a year ago.

The resignation sparked a political and diplomatic crisis as Lebanese officials accused the kingdom of pressuring the Saudi-aligned politician to step down. The Lebanese, affronted by the developments, rallied around Hariri, unanimously calling for his return in what became an embarrassment for the kingdom.

The Saudi crown prince, who has the blessing of his father, King Salman, has taken a much harder line against the Sunni kingdom’s main rival — Shiite power Iran, which has spread its influence in the Arab region in recent years.