Hariri returns to Lebanon to tackle political crisis

LEBANON: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Beirut yesterday, ending a near-threeweek absence to address a political crisis that’s drawn in regional and global powers and raised concern that the fragile country would again be caught in a showdown between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Hariri, a longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, left Lebanon on November 3 and announced his shock resignation from the Saudi capital the next day, accusing Iran and the Hezbollah militant group backed by Tehran of destabilising his country.

Coinciding with the arrest of senior royals and businessmen in Saudi Arabia, the resignation raised questions about whether the 47-year-old had been coerced into quitting. Saudi officials denied the accusations.

The Sunni Muslim leader, who also holds Saudi citizenship, is now expected to say whether he’ll resign or return to office. Last week he said Hezbollah’s support of Iran against Saudi Arabia was a threat to Lebanon’s stability.

The political crisis drew mediation efforts from France, with President Emmanuel Macron inviting Hariri for talks in Paris on Saturday. Hariri also held talks with Egyptian President AbdelFattah el-Sissi and said he would announce his political position after his return to Beirut.

Hariri has sought to dispel speculation that Saudi Arabia asked him to resign because he would not confront Hezbollah, the Shiite group that plays a key role in Lebanon’s fragile government but whose armed wing is fighting in Syria to support fellow Iran ally President Bashar Assad.

The Arab League this week accused Iran of destabilising the region and said its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, was a terrorist group. – Bloomberg