U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Meets Saad Hariri in Riyadh

Heather Nauert, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, announced on Thursday, November 9, that the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Riyadh met with Saad Hariri, the resigned Prime Minister of Lebanon, who is in the Saudi capital. She did not refer to Mr. Hariri's situation or the location of the U.S. chargé's meeting with him, only describing the meeting as 'sensitive, private, and a diplomatic conversation.' Reuters reported on Thursday, November 9, citing a senior Lebanese government official, that there is a hypothesis that Saudi Arabia is holding Saad Hariri in the country. Meanwhile, the President of Lebanon is expected to resort to a 'diplomatic approach' to bring Hariri back. This comes despite reports of Mr. Hariri's forced stay in Saudi Arabia; news on Tuesday indicated that he had left Saudi Arabia for the capital of the UAE and met with Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Saad Hariri is politically opposed to Syria and supported by Saudi Arabia. He had visited Saudi Arabia twice closely before his new trip to Riyadh, which is considered a rival of Iran in the region. On Saturday, November 4, Hariri announced his resignation through Saudi Al-Arabiya television, and the President of Lebanon stated that this matter was discussed over the phone and from outside the country. Mr. Hariri also criticized Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, referring to a 'assassination plot' against himself, although on Sunday, the Lebanese army emphasized that no assassination plot against Saad Hariri had been discovered. Saad Hariri became Prime Minister of Lebanon last year following a political agreement that placed Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, in the presidency, and his resignation could exacerbate sectarian tensions in Lebanon and return the country to a deadlock in government formation. Now, Reuters cites a senior Lebanese official 'close to Saad Hariri,' who wished to remain anonymous, stating that the Saudi government is 'holding' Mr. Hariri in the country. This senior Lebanese official told Reuters regarding Hariri's last trip to Saudi Arabia: 'When he went, they asked him to stay there and ordered him to resign. They instructed him to read his resignation statement, and since then he has been under house arrest.' Saudi Arabia and Mr. Hariri's aides have denied his forced stay in the country, but no statement has yet been issued by him regarding this or to deny the matter. Reuters' source also mentioned that Lebanon is considering requesting assistance from foreign countries to pressure Saudi Arabia. It seems that the news from Al-Manar television about Michel Aoun resorting to a 'diplomatic approach' confirms the request for help. On Thursday, Reuters reported, citing Al-Manar television, that Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, is expected to resort to a 'diplomatic approach' to resolve the Saad Hariri issue. The senior Lebanese official also described Mr. Hariri's 'limited' freedom in Riyadh as 'an attack on the territorial integrity of Lebanon.' Reuters, citing domestic Lebanese media, says that Hariri's sudden resignation has fueled speculation that he was 'caught in the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia and forced to resign.' Over the past week, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been engaged in a war of words and mutual accusations: Riyadh claims that Tehran was involved in the Houthis' missile attack on its territory and considers retaliation its right; Tehran denies this accusation. Mr. Hariri, at the time of announcing his resignation, made severe criticisms against Iran and the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, although Iran hours after Mr. Hariri's remarks rejected his criticisms regarding Iranian interference in Arab countries' affairs, describing his resignation as 'another scenario to create tension in Lebanon and the region.' On Sunday, several Iranian officials, including Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of the IRGC, and Hassan Firouzabadi, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, reacted to Saad Hariri's resignation. In this context, Mohammad Ali Jafari and Hassan Firouzabadi stated that the resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister was made at the request of Saudi officials, and Ali Shamkhani described the announcement of this resignation in Riyadh as 'part of a plot against free nations.' In this regard, Michel Aoun described the security, economic, and political stability of Lebanon as a 'red line.' Lebanese sources: Michel Aoun has conditioned the acceptance of Hariri's resignation on his return. Iran, rejecting Saad Hariri's remarks, described his resignation as 'tension-inducing.' The Prime Minister of Lebanon resigned while criticizing Iran.