Lebanon’s Hariri arrives in UAE as political crisis deepens at home

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, on his first trip outside Saudi Arabia since he announced his resignation three days ago. It comes as regional tensions were aggravated by his surprise move and escalated into a domestic crisis back home.

According to Hariri's office, he flew to Abu Dhabi and then returned to Riyadh. He plans to also visit Bahrain, his Future TV channel said.

Former Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora said that Hariri would come back and that his return to Lebanon was "a priority," adding that they had spoken on the phone on Monday. 

Hariri is the head of the Future Movement, the largest member bloc of the March 14 coalition that was formed in 2005 by a group of political parties united by their anti-Syria stance.

Siniora's comments follow calls for national unity both by President Michel Aoun and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to face off any political crisis arising from Hariri's resignation.

Hariri announced he was leaving his post in a televised broadcast on Saturday from Saudi Arabia. In the same broadcast, Hariri accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of taking over his country and destabilising the broader region.

Hariri left Riyadh early on Tuesday for Abu Dhabi to meet the Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, after his meeting with Saudi King Salman the day before.

The surprise resignation sparked concerns that Lebanon would be sent into a political crisis, but Aoun sought to allay any such fears.

Aoun spoke to senior national security officials at the presidential palace, and said Lebanon's political leadership had responded positively to "calls for calm." 

"National unity remains the foundation for maintaining security and political stability in the country. All efforts should concentrate on preserving this unity, especially in the circumstances that the country is passing through," Aoun said. 

Top officials in the meeting included Lebanon's defence and interior ministers, as well as the heads of the army and general security service. 

Aoun has also said that he will not accept Hariri's resignation until he returns to Lebanon to explain his decision.

Entire country at stake

Sami Atallah, Executive Director of the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, said that there was a real risk the country could descend into a fresh cycle of violence. 

"The whole country is at stake. The whole political system is at stake," Atallah said.

With no obvious contender as the future prime minister, the political uncertainty could shake international confidence in Lebanon's economy, he added. 

"Are they (the leaders) going to be able to rise to the occasion, build the bridges, stop the political bickering, put their differences apart, and realise the gravity of the situation we are in?"

In the wake of Hariri's resignation, Lebanon's ministers will operate in a "caretaker" role until the president nominates a new prime minister who will then appoint new ministers. The process typically takes months of political wrangling. 

The fresh political turmoil will also likely impact long-awaited legislative elections expected to be held in May, the first in nine years after parliament repeatedly extended its own term.

What happened?

Hariri's televised statement prompted fears that Lebanon has split into rival camps led by Hariri and the powerful Shia movement Hezbollah, and that the nation would be caught up in spiralling tensions between Riyadh and Tehran.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah sought to downplay the risks of conflict between Lebanon's rival camps, or with his party's arch-foe Israel. 

"Do not listen to alarmist speeches ... do not worry, there is nothing to worry about," he said in a televised address on Sunday night. 

"We will react responsibly and calmly ... we are concerned about the security of Lebanon," Nasrallah added.

Nasrallah said his party had not sought Hariri's resignation, which had instead been "imposed" on the premier by Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia accused Lebanon of declaring war against it because of aggression by Hezbollah, dramatically escalating the crisis and threatening to destabilise Lebanon.

Lebanese politicians and Hezbollah have since been silent about the escalation in Saudi rhetoric after a series of consultations with President Aoun, who himself is a Hezbollah ally.

Riyadh intercepted a rocket fired from Yemen on the outskirts of the Saudi capital hours after Hariri's resignation. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir alleged that the rocket "was an Iranian missile launched by Hezbollah," in an interview with CNN.