Future Bloc Emphasizes Support for Hariri and Calls for His Return to Lebanon

The Future Bloc, the party led by Saad Hariri in the Lebanese parliament, issued a statement emphasizing its "impatience for his swift return" from Saudi Arabia, while accusing Iran of attempting to incite brother against brother. According to Lebanese media, the Future Bloc stated on Saturday night, November 19, that it still considers Saad Hariri the party leader and supports him. The statement followed an emergency meeting of the ruling party members in Beirut. It stresses that Saad Hariri must return to his homeland to fulfill his national duties in the face of looming threats. The Future Bloc accused Iran of fomenting conflict among brothers through interference in regional affairs and called on Arab countries to unite against Iran's interventions in Lebanon. The statement also described Hezbollah's actions against Saudi Arabia as Iran's "plot to disrupt stability" and reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia as a brotherly and friendly country. Despite remaining silent on numerous and increasing reports regarding Saad Hariri's house arrest in Saudi Arabia, the statement expressed implicit concern about the situation while requesting his immediate return. On Saturday, November 4, Saad Hariri, summoned to Riyadh by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, suddenly read his "resignation letter" on the Saudi Al Arabiya network. In the resignation letter he read, Iran and Hezbollah were criticized, and he emphasized that his life was in danger, likening the current atmosphere to that of the time of his father, Rafik Hariri's assassination. Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri's father, who was also the Prime Minister of Lebanon, was killed twelve years ago in a massive explosion in the heart of Beirut along with dozens of others, with several members of Hezbollah accused of his murder. Meanwhile, the Future TV, affiliated with Saad Hariri's party, announced that it would broadcast an "interview" with Hariri, conducted in Riyadh, on Sunday night. However, many in Lebanon have preemptively deemed the Future TV interview with Saad Hariri, prepared in an abnormal atmosphere, as untrustworthy, claiming that the Saudis forced him to make the statements. Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, officially requested Saudi Arabia on Saturday to report on Saad Hariri's status and allow him to return to his country. Aoun warned that Lebanon could complain to the Security Council about Saudi Arabia. This comes as Reuters reported on Saturday night, November 20, in an exclusive report about recent events, stating that Saad Hariri is under surveillance in Saudi Arabia and his resignation was dictated to him. According to a senior official close to Saad Hariri, the head of the Saudi royal protocol called him on Friday night, November 12, instructing him to come to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This official stated that the Prime Minister thought he was only going for a few hours, but upon arriving at Riyadh airport, he realized that the situation was suspicious and was treated with neglect and disrespect from the very first moment. Reuters reported that no one was waiting for Hariri at Riyadh airport, so he went to his private home, which he has had in Riyadh for years, and after the events of Saturday, November 13, he was made to wait four hours to read a text that had been handed to him. A senior official close to Saad Hariri stated that the Prime Minister had informed the Beirut government that he would hold necessary meetings upon his return from Saudi Arabia, including a meeting scheduled for Monday, November 15, with senior Jordanian officials and Western institutions in Beirut. According to Reuters, the letter that Saad Hariri read shocked Lebanese ministers and his team; even his mobile phone was taken from him, and in some limited calls with his home, which is under surveillance, he was only allowed to vaguely say that he was "fine." Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia is trying to exploit the longstanding disputes between Bahaa Hariri, Saad Hariri's older brother, and the younger brother to elevate Bahaa Hariri to the premiership. Reuters added that several members of the Hariri family were brought to Saudi Arabia to pledge allegiance to Bahaa Hariri and support his ascension to the premiership; however, this did not happen, and the desired support from the Saudis was not expressed. While Saad Hariri was seen in a news clip on Saudi television meeting with the King of Saudi Arabia, he reportedly made a brief trip to the UAE last week but immediately returned to Riyadh and also met with the French ambassador in Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, November 20, he was among those present to welcome King Salman upon his return from Medina at Riyadh airport. However, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, the meeting between the French ambassador in Riyadh and Saad Hariri also took place in the presence of a Saudi intelligence officer. Al-Akhbar reported that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, who unexpectedly visited Riyadh last week during his regional trip to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is trying to secure Saad Hariri's release. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, stated in a radio interview that he believes Saad Hariri is not under Saudi detention. The newspaper Al-Rai Al-Youm suggested the possibility that Saad Hariri might be transferred to Paris to continue his life "in exchange for silence" regarding behind-the-scenes events. The newspaper Al-Hayat reported that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies were angry with Saad Hariri for not confronting Hezbollah and accused him of collaborating with the "Hezbollah-Iran axis." An unnamed senior official in the Gulf told Al-Hayat that "allowing Hezbollah under Saad Hariri's shadow was a sin." Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, expressed "confidence" on Friday that Saudi Arabia forced Saad Hariri to resign. Nasrallah stated that he has "reliable information" and that this is not merely an assessment that Saudi Arabia has offered Israel billions of dollars in exchange for attacking Hezbollah. However, the Hezbollah Secretary-General added that he does not foresee such a war occurring. The Israeli Prime Minister stated that Hariri's resignation is a "wake-up call for the international community to confront Iran." In this context, the White House opposed "using Lebanon as a base to threaten others." The President of Lebanon called for clarification from Saudi Arabia regarding Hariri's ambiguous status.