by Sunniva Rose —thenational.ae —   Walid Bukhari, Saudi’s latest ambassador to Lebanon has arrived in Beirut, the Lebanese national news agency reported. “We will strive together to preserve the security, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon”, said Mr Bukhari in a speech at the airport on Wednesdaty afternoon, in front of several top Lebanese officials and foreign ambassadors, including UAE ambassador Hamad Saeed Shamsi, who had come to greet him. Mr Bukhari’s arrival follows a November 18 tweet in which he announced that he had taken an oath in front of Saudi King Salman to serve as “an extraordinary ambassador plenipotentiary of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon.”

Waleed A. Bukhari @bukhariwaleeed { وَإنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيم } بِفَضْلِ الله سُبحانَه وتَعالى تَشَرَّفْتُ الْيَوْمَ بأَداءِ #القَسَمِ أمامَ سيِّدي #خادمُ_الحرميْنِ_الشّريفين حَفِظَهُ اللهُ #سفيرًا فوقَ العادةِ ومُفوَّضًا لِمَقامِهِ الكريمِ لدى #الجمهوريَّةِ_اللُّبنانيةِ

. A source told Lebanese newspaper the Daily Star that Mr Bukhari will submit his credentials to Lebanese president Michel Aoun in the next few days. Mr Yacoub was appointed ambassador late November during a tense time in Lebanese-Saudi relations, several weeks after Lebanese Prime Minister’s surprise resignation on November 4 in Riyad, which sparked a major crisis between the two countries. He had to wait until January to present his credentials to Mr Aoun, local media reported. A few days after Mr Hariri’s resignation, Mr Aoun had complained to Mr Bukhari that the circumstances surrounding the resignation were unacceptable. Mr Bukhari also ridiculed rumours that Mr Hariri was held against his will, infuriating some Lebanese politicians. Early December, Mr Hariri rescinded his resignation.