The path to Hariri's resignation withdrawal

Lebanon’s PM Saad Hariri’s withdrawal of his Saudi-induced resignation once again proves Hezbollah’s stronghold over the country. What happened in the month between Hariri's resignation and subsequent withdrawal?

Hariri's resignation had thrown Lebanon's fragile government into disarray.
AFP

Hariri's resignation had thrown Lebanon's fragile government into disarray.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in a televised speech from the Saudi capital on November 4, where he cited Iran-backed Hezbollah as a threat to the future of his country. 

High-level Lebanese officials have blamed Saudi Arabia for the move.

His decision to resign was not welcomed by Lebanese President Micheal Aoun, who is known for his amiable relationship with Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah. 

Nasrallah accused Riyadh of forcing Hariri to quit, saying that Saudi Arabia had declared war on Lebanon and his group.

Aoun called for calm in an effort to contain the political crisis unleashed by Hariri's resignation.

Upon Aoun’s insistence that Hariri return to Lebanon for the approval of his resignation, Hariri said via his twitter account that he would be back in Beirut soon. 

Hours later, a missile was fired towards Riyadh

Days before Hariri's trip to Riyadh, Lebanon hosted Ali Akbar Velayeti, the senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, in a move that angered the Saudis. Velayeti met with various officials during his visit, including Hezbollah's secretary general and the prime minister. Hariri's resignation came a couple of days later.

Hours after the resignation, Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile fired from Yemen targeting Riyadh’s international airport. Saudi officials said it was “an Iranian missile, launched by Hezbollah, from territory occupied by the Houthis in Yemen.” 

Iranian-backed Houthis have controlled Yemen's capital Sanaa and some northern parts of Yemen since 2015.

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Israel’s Reaction

In a TV address  on November 10, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of enticing Israel to attack Hezbollah. ‘’This is information, not interpretation’’ he said.

Daniel B. Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel, in his opinion piece to Haaretz, expressed that Saudi Arabia had intended to put Hezbollah in a tough situation through Hariri’s resignation. 

‘’By pulling Hariri out of his office, they (Saudi Arabia) may hope to ensure that Hezbollah gets stuck with the blame and responsibility for Lebanon’s challenges,’’ he said.

He also warned Israel not to be moved by Saudi Arabia’s desire to confront Hezbollah at a time when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is in a rush to defeat Iran saying that, ‘’Israeli leaders will want to take care not to find themselves backed into a premature confrontation by the maneuvers of their allies who sit in Riyadh.’’

A high-ranking diplomat from a Gulf country who spoke to TRT World two weeks before Hariri’s withdrawal of his resignation, said that Israel is unlikely to attack Hezbollah. 

Saudi Arabia’s attempts to pull in Israel proved futile due to Israel’s lack of interest in fighting against Hezbollah while it is fighting another Shia militia group along its border with the Golan Heights.

Even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to take action against Iran and Iranian-backed groups on his social media account upon Hariri’s resignation, Israel did not take any actions towards a potential attack against Hezbollah. 

Days after Hariri’s resignation, Syrian State TV reported that Israel had intensified air strikes against Hezbollah and its allied groups in Syria, killing 12 Iranian military personnel. In a recorded message to Saban Forum in Washington between December 1-3, Netanyahu signaled his commitment to fighting Hezbollah along its border.

Resignation came after Trump's call for strategy against Iran

The events that propelled the resignation and its withdrawal came after President Trump’s call for action to curtail Iran’s hegemony in the region. In an announcement in October, Trump said:

‘’So today, in recognition of the increasing menace posed by Iran, and after extensive consultations with our allies, I am announcing a new strategy to address the full range of Iran’s destructive actions. First, we will work with our allies to counter the regime’s destabilizing activity and support for terrorist proxies in the region.’’

Saudi Arabia is one of the Trump administration's strongest allies in defeating Iranian hegemony. Saudi Arabia is the first country that Trump visited in May after coming to power in January. About a month after that visit, Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who pushed Saudi Arabia into the war with Yemen, was elevated to crown prince.

France’s involvement as a mediator

Days after his resignation announcement in Riyadh, Hariri went to France upon President Macaron’s invitation. While Hariri portrayed his visit to France as a regular meeting through his social media account, the Lebanese people believed that Hariri was moving from place to place to dispel the allegations that he was being held in Riyadh against his will. 

According to Reuters, France played a facilitating role in Hariri’s return to Beirut.

The Hariri family has longstanding ties to the French political class. The assassinated former prime minister Rafik Hariri was a close friend of former French president Jacques Chirac.

During the time between Hariri's resignation and subsequent withdrawal, other major events took place in the region. Riyadh imprisoned a handful of Saudi princes over corruption allegations and Hezbollah-linked militia groups exchanged air strikes with Israel in Syria.

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