Saad Hariri Arrives in Paris for Meeting with Macron After Leaving Riyadh

Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, arrived in Paris on Saturday, November 18, after a two-week stay in Saudi Arabia that was accompanied by much speculation, to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. Earlier, the Future TV network, affiliated with the Hariri family, announced that Mr. Hariri had left Saudi Arabia for France. The network reported that Mr. Hariri flew with his wife on his private jet from Riyadh airport. Now, Reuters reports, citing French media, that Mr. Hariri has entered Paris for a meeting with Emmanuel Macron. Previously, Saad Hariri tweeted to German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, stating that claims he was being held against his will in Saudi Arabia and was not allowed to leave were nothing but lies. He mentioned he was on his way to the airport, addressing Mr. Gabriel. This was a response to Sigmar Gabriel, who had said on Friday that Saad Hariri was in Saudi Arabia against his will and was not allowed to leave. In this context, on Friday, a member of Saad Hariri's party stated that Mr. Hariri would leave Riyadh for France on Friday and would not return directly to Lebanon. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, on November 4, Saad Hariri unexpectedly announced his resignation in a televised speech broadcast by Al Arabiya. In his resignation announcement, Saad Hariri harshly criticized Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing them of interfering in Lebanon's affairs and other Arab countries. Saad Hariri's resignation announcement sparked widespread reactions. Several high-ranking Lebanese officials and even political figures close to Saad Hariri stated that Saudi Arabia had forced him to resign and that he could not leave Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, said on Thursday that the decision regarding when Saad Hariri wants to return to Lebanon is up to Mr. Hariri himself. Following Saad Hariri's resignation, Saudi officials accused Hezbollah of actions against Riyadh. A Saudi minister stated that the Lebanese government is responsible for Hezbollah's actions, and these actions against Saudi Arabia are tantamount to a declaration of war by the Lebanese government. Thamer al-Sabhan, the Saudi Minister of State for Gulf Affairs, said that Hezbollah's actions are considered a 'declaration of war by the Lebanese government' and that the Hezbollah group is 'against Saudi Arabia.' Meanwhile, Ashraf Rifi, the Lebanese Minister of Justice, also stated on Friday that if Hezbollah does not stop its interference in the region, Arab countries will impose economic sanctions on Lebanon. Reuters reports that Ashraf Rifi is considered a Lebanese politician close to Saudi Arabia. Mr. Rifi mentioned regarding the response to the actions of Arab countries that economic consequences can be expected. Politically, it can also have repercussions on Lebanon's relations with Arab countries. Unfortunately, such possibilities exist.