Lebanese President Claims ‘Aggressive’ Saudis Holding Hariri

Lebanese President Michel Aoun publicly accused Saudi Arabia of detaining Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who thrust Lebanon into political turmoil by announcing his resignation in a live television broadcast from Riyadh on November 4. Aoun, who is a close ally of Hizbullah—the dominant political and military power in Lebanon—called the alleged action “an act of aggression” and reiterated his refusal to accept Hariri’s resignation unless the prime minister submits it in person in accordance with Lebanese law. In his first public comments since the shock decision, Hariri said he was free to travel and planned to return to Lebanon within days, whereas The House of Saud denies orchestrating the resignation and holding Hariri against his will. This comes as Hariri’s older brother Bahaa, who is a front runner to succeed Saad, for the first time spoke out about the incident, reaffirming his support for the move before blasting Iran and its Shiite proxy Hizbullah for trying to “take control of Lebanon.” He also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for “decades of support,” further fueling speculation that Riyadh is seeking to install Bahaa as Lebanese premier due to his tougher stance on Tehran.