Lebanese PM resigns: Many expected the marriage of convenience between Saad al-Hariri and President Michel Aoun to snap – but not as abruptly as it did on Saturday, Sami Moubayed writes. The prime minister announced his resignation in a televised address delivered from Riyadh. Aoun was neither consulted nor informed beforehand, which sent shockwaves throughout Lebanon. It may well be that al-Hariri was asked to resign by Saudi Arabia, a country that has long backed him and indeed bankrolled both his own career and that of his father and predecessor, Rafik al-Hariri. He blamed his resignation on Iran and Hezbollah, which he accused of being behind his father’s 2005 murder. His resignation came weeks after Saudi Arabia called for the toppling of Hezbollah, promising “astonishing developments” in the upcoming days. Hariri has been highly critical of Hezbollah’s military involvement in the Syrian conflict, claiming that it attracted ISIS and other jihadi groups into Lebanese territory. READ THE STORY HERE
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories |