By ZEINA KARAM and BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia on Thursday ordered its citizens out of Lebanon in its first concrete action against the Mediterranean country, while officials in Beirut demanded the immediate return of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who abruptly announced his resignation last week in a television appearance from the kingdom, where he has been holed up since. The developments were the latest twist in the saga of Hariri, whose fate increasingly resembled a bizarre mystery-thriller that has gripped his nation and sent tensions soaring with Saudi Arabia. With the Lebanese government in limbo, officials in Beirut said they haven’t heard from Hariri since he departed for Saudi Arabia last week. Hariri’s own Future Movement party called Thursday for his immediate return home for the “dignity of the nation. Beyond a phone call on Saturday informing President Michael Aoun of his resignation, Hariri has not made contact with Lebanese officials. Aoun has said he would not accept the resignation until Hariri returns to the country and explains the circumstances of his decision to step down. Late Wednesday night, Hariri’s private plane took off from Riyadh and flew back to Beirut — and Lebanese breathlessly awaited his arrival, only to discover he wasn’t on board.
“How can they hold a prime minister?” asked a Hariri supporter in Beirut who gave only his first name, Abed, saying he feared retaliation for his comments. He said he was at a loss to know what to think, adding that if it turns out that the Saudis were indeed holding Hariri under house arrest “then they have humiliated the whole country by doing this.” On Thursday, Hariri’s Future Movement party delivered its sharpest rebuke yet over Hariri’s absence, demanding that he be returned home immediately — the clearest sign so far that it believes he is being held by the Saudis against his will. “The return of the Lebanese prime minister, the national leader, Saad Hariri, and the head of the Future Movement, is necessary to restore dignity and respect to Lebanon at home and abroad,” former premier Fouad Saniora said in the statement read on TV. The Riyadh government, meanwhile, after days of leveling threats against Beirut, ordered all Saudis living in or visiting Lebanon to depart “immediately,” and warned against travel to the country. Saudi Arabia sees Hezbollah as a proxy of Iran amid a spiraling rivalry between the two regional Sunni and Shiite heavyweights. Saudi Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan warned earlier this month that his government would deal with Lebanon as a hostile state as long as the militant group Hezbollah was in the Lebanese government. The Lebanese unity government that Hariri formed a year ago includes Hezbollah members — the result of an implicit Saudi-Iranian understanding to sideline Lebanon from the other proxy wars in the region. That understanding came to an abrupt end with Hariri’s resignation, throwing the country back into the forefront of the Sunni-Shiite regional conflicts.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has found itself in the odd position of coming to Hariri’s defense. Hezbollah’s leader and one of Lebanon’s most powerful figures, Hassan Nasrallah, has speculated openly that Hariri was being held against his will and even said that it appeared Saudi Arabia forced the resignation. Lebanon is no stranger to intrigue and suspense. Its modern history is full of assassinations, kidnappings and wars that left tens of thousands dead and missing. But the mysterious circumstances surrounding Hariri’s resignation have triggered a torrent of rumors — and much trepidation.A senior Lebanese official said Thursday that Hariri had not been heard from since Saturday. “We don’t know anything. All I can confirm is that we have not heard from him since and he has not returned,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Aides to Hariri in Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said his decision to remain in the kingdom was due to intelligence reports that he was a target for assassination. The aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said Hariri was also demanding that Hezbollah stop trying to impose Iran’s agenda on the Lebanese government.
Adding to the speculation, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, known for its anti-Saudi stance, reported Thursday that the kingdom had decided to replace Hariri with his older brother, Bahaa Hariri, as its new man in Lebanon. It added that Saad Hariri agreed to pay allegiance to his brother as long as he is set free and allowed to move to Europe and leave politics. Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, a member of Hariri’s Future Movement and a close aide, dismissed the reports. “We are not a herd of sheep or a piece of property to hand over from one person to the other,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is currently visiting the United Arab Emirates, declined to discuss Hariri’s resignation, saying only that he hopes Lebanon will have a new government soon. He was set to travel to Saudi Arabia later Thursday to discuss the situation in Lebanon and other issues. “We’ve had some contact but there’s no reason to say anything officially regarding this,” Macron said when asked if he had contact with Hariri. “So far, all I can say is we did not receive any requests” from Hariri for asylum, the French leader said.
Amid Lebanon crisis, France’s Macron flies to Riyadh to see crown prince
DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Riyadh on Thursday for hastily scheduled talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, notably over Lebanon and Yemen. French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce in Dubai, UAE, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ludovic Marin/Pool Macron, who flew in from a visit to the United Arab Emirates, had earlier declined to discuss a wave of high-level arrests for corruption in Saudi Arabia, but said it was vital to work with the kingdom for the stability of the region. He told a news conference in Dubai that the decision to go to Riyadh had been made on Thursday morning, and that his first face-to-face talks with the prince would focus on “regional questions, in particular Yemen and Lebanon”. Two top Lebanese government officials said on Thursday that Riyadh was holding Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri captive and a third told Reuters that the Saudi authorities had ordered Hariri to resign while he was in Riyadh last weekend, and put him under house arrest. Saudi Arabia has denied that he is under house arrest, but Hariri himself has not denied that his movements are being restricted. France has close ties with Lebanon, a former colony, and with Hariri, who has a home in France after spending several years in the country. Macron said there had been informal contacts with Hariri, but no request to transfer him to France. Two French diplomats also said they were unaware of any plans to bring Hariri to France. Macron said he would “emphasize the importance of Lebanese stability and integrity” in his talks in Riyadh, adding: “My wish is that all Lebanese political officials live freely in Lebanon … which means having a very demanding stance on those who could threaten any leader.” Television pictures showed a smiling Macron being met at Riyadh airport by the crown prince. In recent years, France has been able to nurture new links with the Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states due to its tough stance on Iran in nuclear negotiations, and the broad similarity of their policies on conflicts across the Middle East. However, the 32-year-old crown prince has emphasized closer ties with U.S. President Donald Trump at a time when Macron has in turn sought to improve relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s Shi‘ite rival for regional influence.
‘It’s an attack on sovereignty’ Saudi Arabia puts ex-Lebanese PM ‘under house arrest’
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Saturday while in Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah of sowing strife in Arab states and saying he feared assassination. It has been claimed al-Hariri is now being held in Riyadh as tensions escalate in the Middle East. Beruit plans to work with foreign states to secure his return, top Lebanese officials told Reuters. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the government had yet to declare this position, a senior Lebanese official, said: “Keeping Hariri with restricted freedom in Riyadh is an attack on Lebanese sovereignty. Our dignity is his dignity. We will work with (foreign) states to return him to Beirut.”
Exclusive: Lebanon believes Saudi holds Hariri, demands his return
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon believes Saad al-Hariri is being held in Saudi Arabia, from where he resigned as Lebanese prime minister, two top government officials in Beirut said, amid a deepening crisis pushing Lebanon onto the frontlines of a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A third source, a senior politician close to Saudi-allied Hariri, said Saudi Arabia had ordered him to resign and put him under house arrest. A fourth source familiar with the situation said Saudi Arabia was controlling and limiting his movement. In a televised statement indicating deep concern at Hariri’s situation, his Future Movement political party said his return home was necessary to uphold the Lebanese system, describing him as prime minister and a national leader. Hariri’s resignation last Saturday, read out on television from Saudi Arabia, came as a shock even to his aides and further embroiled Beirut in a regional contest between Riyadh and Tehran.
