After a Mysterious Odyssey, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Is Home
21, 2017
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon returned to his country on Tuesday as Lebanese eagerly
awaited the latest act in one of the most unusual and puzzling diplomatic dramas in recent history.
Many questions remain, including whether he plans to reaffirm his resignation or rescind it — President Michel Aoun has said it is not valid unless delivered in person —
and to what extent he may have acted under Saudi pressure.
Mr. Hariri had unexpectedly flown to Saudi Arabia this month, declared his resignation via video
and then remained there for two weeks amid questions about whether he was coerced or had even been detained by the Saudis.
It is also unclear whether Mr. Hariri still believes he faces a security threat in Lebanon, as he said from Saudi Arabia.
He arrived Tuesday at the Beirut airport — named for his father, Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister who was assassinated in 2005 — shortly before midnight,
and drove to Martyr’s Square in downtown Beirut to pray at his father’s tomb.
Mr. Hariri was widely seen as resigning under pressure from the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as part of a bid to isolate Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia
and political party that is included in Lebanon’s coalition government.
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