Negotiations on Countering Iran at Arab League Summit; Lebanese Foreign Minister Will Not Attend

A source from the Lebanese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday, November 19, that the country's foreign minister will not attend the emergency Arab League summit called by Saudi Arabia to discuss Iran's 'aggressions.' According to the French news agency, citing an unnamed source, instead of Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese foreign minister, Antoine Azzam, the permanent representative of Lebanon to the Arab League, will attend the summit held in Cairo on Sunday. Reuters also reported that a senior Lebanese official stated that Gebran Bassil aims to avoid a potential confrontation with the Saudi representative and allied countries by not attending the Cairo summit. The summit will discuss countering Iran and the Hezbollah group. As regional competition between Riyadh and Tehran has intensified in recent weeks, Arab League foreign ministers are set to meet in Cairo at Riyadh's request on Sunday. According to the official Egyptian news agency (MENA), the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait supported Saudi Arabia's request for discussions on countering Iranian interference in the region. Meanwhile, Hossam Zaki, the Arab League Deputy Secretary-General, criticized Iran's policies in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, stating that Arab countries will demand an end to what he termed Iran's interventions and threats. He added that the Cairo summit would send a 'strong message' to Iran, urging Tehran to abandon its current policies. The Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram also reported that an Arab diplomatic source indicated the Cairo summit might refer the matter to the United Nations Security Council. Based on a memo received by the French news agency last week, Saudi Arabia's call for an Arab League summit stemmed from a missile attack launched from Yemen towards Riyadh on November 4. This missile attack was intercepted and thwarted by Saudi air defenses near Riyadh. Following that, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, stated that they consider the recent missile attack on Riyadh International Airport as 'a declaration of war by Iran, and we will respond appropriately at the right time.' In response to this threat, Bahram Qasemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, rejected the recent accusations against Tehran in the statement of the Saudi-led coalition and regional alliance, calling these accusations 'unjust, irresponsible, destructive, and provocative.' However, Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, who also holds the defense minister position, insisted on his country's stance, accusing Iran of 'direct military aggression' through the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Tehran has never concealed its verbal support for the Yemeni rebels, specifically the group known as 'Ansar Allah,' which includes the Houthis, but denies reports of sending weapons to them. Relations between Riyadh and Tehran were severed following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and attacks on its diplomatic missions in Iran. The two countries have accused each other of interfering in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, accusations that each has denied.