He held talks with the Iranian leaders first and then arrived in Saudi Arabia. Later (on November 4), Saad al-Hariri, speaking in a televised address from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, announced that he resigned as the prime minister of Lebanon.
Hariri accused Iran of interfering in Arab affairs and throwing his country into deeper uncertainty. He also condemned Iran’s attempt to increase its influence in West Asia. Hariri strongly criticised Tehran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah, the Shiite militia and political party that was part of his ‘national unity’ Cabinet.
Hariri’s move shocked not only Lebanon, but also the entire Arab world. After monitoring the situation for the last few days, diplomats have warned that a Saudi-Iran war may break out at any moment. In that case, Lebanon will have to pay a heavy price.

The Lebanese population is divided into two camps for a long time. Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah group runs one camp, while another is run by ‘Sunni’ Saudi Arabia. Hariri, who was leading the second group, claimed that Iran and its ally Hezbollah have taken control of the whole country and created problems for Beirut. He told his countrymen that the situation prompted him to resign. “It’s a dangerous decision whose consequences will be heavier than what Lebanon can bear,” said Hilal Khashan, a Professor of Political Science at the American University of Beirut.
The political turmoil in Lebanon claimed the life of Hariri’s father Rafic on February 14, 2005. Rafic Baha El Deen al-Hariri was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation on October 20, 2004. He had headed five Cabinets during his tenure. A few days ago, Hariri admitted that he feared for his life, saying that the atmosphere in his country is similar to the one that existed before his father was assassinated.

Rafic Baha El Deen Al Hariri

Saudi daily ‘al-Sharq al-Awsat’ reported on November 5 that Western intelligence agents recently warned Hariri about a planned assassination. “They revealed that he had received Western warnings of an assassination attempt that was prepared against him,” wrote the paper. According to the daily, Hariri took shelter in Riyadh in order to minimise the threat to his life. However, head of Lebanon’s General Security intelligence agency Major General Abbas Ibrahim said that he had no information about any plots to kill Hariri.
Soon after Hariri stepped down as PM, Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah blasted Riyadh for imposing ‘Saudi decision’ on him, saying: “It was not his intention, not his wish and not his decision to quit.”
In the past, Lebanon witnessed political murders, war (with a neighbouring country) and civil war. The West Asian nation’s political situation has been deteriorating since 2005. “The timing and venue of the resignation are surprising…..but not the resignation itself. The situation is developing rapidly and we’re at a turning point … there could be a deadly clash between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In that event, the two main camps in Lebanon will clash too,” stressed Dr Fadia Kiwane, the Professor of Political Science at St Joseph University of Beirut.

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Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das