Confined on His Last Trip to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon’s Leader Returns on Better Terms

Confined on His Last Trip to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon’s Leader Returns on Better Terms
A statement by Mr. Hariri’s press office in Beirut said his meetings with the king, who was joined by a retinue of Saudi aides, including the interior
and foreign ministers, "focused on the bilateral relations and the latest developments in Lebanon." Mr. Hariri was also expected to meet with the king’s son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the most powerful figure in Saudi Arabia, who is regarded as the architect of the Lebanese leader’s disastrous November visit.
Lebanese officials said Mr. Hariri had been ordered to resign
and to publicly blame Iran, which Saudi Arabia regards as its main regional rival, for meddling in Lebanese affairs.
Invited on Monday by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Hariri arrived on Wednesday, conferring with the king
as the Saudi news state media showed them smiling together at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, the capital.
After announcing on Monday that he had been invited back to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Hariri
told reporters: "Saudi Arabia’s main objective is for Lebanon to be sovereign."
The gruff treatment Mr. Hariri received from his Saudi hosts at the time partly reflected their frustration
over his accommodation with Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite Lebanese organization aligned with Iran.
Supported by By Rick Gladstone The last time Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon visited Saudi Arabia, he was stripped of his cellphones, insulted by royal guards, confined
and ordered to speak to his Lebanese compatriots on live television and resign.