Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri unexpectedly resigned on Saturday in a televised speech from Saudi Arabia, saying he feared for his life and accusing Iran and its proxies of destabilizing his country and the region.
Hariri, a pro-Saudi Sunni politician, said Lebanon has suffered enough because of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its grip on domestic politics. “I want to say to Iran and its followers that they are losing in their interference in the affairs of Arab nations, and our nation will rise as it did before — and the hands that are extended to it with evil will be cut off,” he said.
The resignation raises the prospect of a renewed political confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Lebanon at a time when the Islamic Republic and its allies are widely seen to have won the proxy war against Sunni powers in neighboring Syria. Saudi Arabia and Iran are on opposite ends of other regional conflicts such as Yemen and Iraq.
The Lebanese government includes Hezbollah members, and Hariri’s decision aims to weaken the group’s legitimate representation in domestic politics, said Sami Nader, head of the Beirut-based Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs. “It’s part of an all-out Saudi confrontation with Iran,” he said.
Balance of Power
Riad Kahwaji, head of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said the decision also shows that Saudi Arabia will not accept the current political structure in Lebanon, where a pro-Hezbollah president is tilting the balance of power in favor of the militant group.
Hariri left Beirut for Saudi Arabia on a “work visit” on Friday, his office said in a statement, the second trip in less than a week. He met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the kingdom’s predominant leader, on Oct. 30.
In the speech, the outgoing premier expressed fears that he could be assassinated like his father, former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, who was killed in an explosion in 2005. Hariri inherited his father’s political influence. He served as prime minister from 2009 to 2011 and took office again in 2016.
Under Hariri, the cabinet passed laws including oil and gas decrees for offshore exploration. Rival factions in parliament also approved Lebanon’s first budget in 12 years, restoring control over state finances and easing a long-standing political deadlock that has stifled development.
Economic Struggle
While Hariri will remain caretaker premier until a new prime minister is appointed, the political turmoil will likely hinder investments, hobbling an economy already struggling with the impact of the Syrian war, which cut major trade routs and brought more than 1 million refugees into the country. The International Monetary Fund expects Lebanon’s economic growth to languish below 2 percent this year and next.
“Companies that have bid to explore in the oil and gas sector need a functioning government and need to trust the political climate and require guarantees of stability,” Rosanna Bou Monsef, a Beirut-based political commentator, said by phone.
“No company would want to invest in such a climate.”
Economy Minister Raed Khoury said there was “no fear for the Lebanese pound,” according to the state-run National News Agency. Lebanon’s currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar.
“Lebanon has gone through bigger crises and maintained stability,” he said.
