Lebanon's prime minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Saturday, saying he believed there was an assassination plot against him and accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.
His resignation thrusts Lebanon back into the frontline of Saudi-Iranian regional rivalry and seems likely to exacerbate sectarian tensions between Lebanese Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.
It also shatters a coalition government formed last year after years of political deadlock, and which was seen as representing a victory for Shi'ite Hezbollah and Iran.
Hariri, who is closely allied with Saudi Arabia, alleged in a televised broadcast that Hezbollah was "directing weapons" at Yemenis, Syrians and Lebanese and said the Arab world would "cut off the hands that wickedly extend to it".
Hariri's coalition, which took office last year, grouped nearly all of Lebanon's main parties, including Hezbollah. It took office in a political deal that made Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, president.
It was not immediately clear who might succeed Hariri, Lebanon's most influential Sunni politician.
The post of prime minister is reserved for a Sunni Muslim in Lebanon's sectarian power sharing system. The constitution requires Aoun to nominate the candidate with the greatest support among MPs.
"We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri. I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life," Hariri said.
Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a 2005 Beirut bomb attack that pushed his son Saad into politics and set off years of turmoil.
In a statement read from an undisclosed location, Hariri said Hezbollah and Iran had brought Lebanon into the "eye of a storm" of international sanctions. He said Iran was sowing strife, destruction and ruin wherever it went and accused it of a "deep hatred for the Arab nation".
Aoun's office said Hariri had called him from "outside Lebanon" to inform him of his resignation.
Hariri flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday after a meeting in Beirut with Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Afterwards, Velayati described Hariri's coalition as "a victory" and "great success".
TUSSLE FOR INFLUENCE
Iranian officials denounced the move, noting that it had been made from outside Lebanon, while Saudi officials appeared to crow over it.
"Hariri's resignation was done with planning by Donald Trump, the president of America, and Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, to destabilise the situation in Lebanon and the region," said Hussein Sheikh al-Islam, adviser to Iran's supreme leader, in remarks to a state broadcaster.
Saudi Arabia's influential Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan, who met Hariri in Riyadh this week, echoed the language of the Lebanese politician saying in a Tweet: "The hands of treachery and aggression must be cut off."
Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in a regional power tussle, backing opposing forces in wars and political struggles in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Iraq.
A U.N.-backed tribunal charged five Hezbollah members over Rafik al-Hariri's killing. Their trial in absentia at the Hague began in January 2014 and Hezbollah and the Syrian government, have both denied any involvement in the killing.
In his statement, Hariri said Iran was "losing in its interference in the affairs of the Arab world", adding that Lebanon would "rise as it had done in the past".
POLITICAL DEAL
Hezbollah's close ties to Iran and its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with rebels trying to overthrow him have been a major source of tension in neighbouring Lebanon for years.
The Lebanese government has adopted an official position of "disassociation" from the conflict, but this has come under strain in recent months with Hezbollah and its allies pushing for a normalisation of ties with Assad.
Since taking office, Hariri had worked to garner international aid for Lebanon to cope with the strain of hosting some 1.5 million refugees from neighbouring Syria, seeking billions of dollars to boost its sluggish economy.
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Reuters there was no danger to Lebanon's economy or its currency.
"Over previous decades, Hezbollah was able to impose a reality in Lebanon with the power of its weapons, which it claims is the (anti-Israel) resistance's weapons, which are aimed at the chests of our Syrian and Yemeni brothers, not to mention the Lebanese," Hariri said.
He said the Lebanese people were suffering from Hezbollah's interventions, both internally and at the level of their relationships with other Arab countries.
Hariri has visited Saudi Arabia, a political foe of Iran and Hezbollah, twice in the past week, meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior officials.
Reuters
Sat Nov 04 2017
Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri attends a general parliament discussion in downtown Beirut, October 18, 2017. REUTERS
SPR India tuntut maklum balas aduan terhadap Modi, Rahul Gandhi
Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya India hari ini memaklumkan pihaknya sudah meminta maklum balas daripada parti pemerintah Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dan parti pembangkang, Kongres.
Penguin maharaja berdepan kepupusan akibat pencairan ais
Spesies penguin terbesar di dunia, penguin maharaja terus berdepan ancaman apabila habitatnya terjejas akibat perubahan iklim. Selain pernah disifatkan bakal pupus menjelang tahun 2050, saintis dari Pusat Penyelidikan British Antarctic Survey pada Khamis memberitahu perubahan iklim memberi kesan terhadap kecairan ais di wilayah beku Antartika yang menjadi habitat buat koloni penguin maharaja.
ANCC2024: Astro, NACSA bekerjasama anjur 'coding challenge'
Diilhamkan daripada komitmen Astro dan NACSA untuk memupuk langkah keselamatan siber yang proaktif, pertandingan itu juga bertujuan untuk menormalisasikan navigasi digital yang selamat dalam ruang siber.
Suhu cecah 42 Celsius, Bangladesh tutup semua sekolah sehingga Sabtu ini
Suhu panas melampau sehingga mencecah 42 Celcius memaksa kerajaan Bangladesh menutup operasi persekolahan yang melibatkan 33 juta pelajar di negara itu.
PM Haiti serah surat peletakan jawatan
Perdana Menteri Haiti, Ariel Henry akhirnya menyerahkan surat peletakan jawatan pada Khamis selepas tidak henti berdepan tekanan antarabangsa bagi mengawal kekacauan kumpulan pengganas di negara itu. Surat rasmi peletakan jawatan yang ditandatangani Ariel Henry diserahkan di Los Angeles dan dikongsi pejabat Perdana Menteri Haiti bersamaan tarikh majlis presiden peralihan ditubuhkan.
RTS JB-Singapura di landasan tepat
Perkambangan pembinaan Projek RTS Johor Bahru-Singapura dilihat berada pada landasan tepat.
Rakyat Israel sudah mula misi bina penempatan kekal di Gaza
Sekumpulan warga Israel yang bermalam di sempadan berarak memasuki Gaza pada pagi Khamis dengan matlamat untuk membuka penempatan kekal di wilayah itu. Dalam poster kumpulan itu yang tular di media sosial, tertera slogan 'tentera telah mendudukinya, maka kami akan menetap disitu'.
Malaysia sebuah negara selamat - Kedutaan AS
Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat di Malaysia menyangkal dakwaan dangkal Profesor Bruce Gilley yang mengatakan Malaysia adalah negara tidak selamat dilawati.
Memetik laporan Free Malaysia Today, pihak kedutaan berkata tiada perubahan kepada nasihat perjalanan yang kekal pada tahap satu, iaitu tahap paling rendah daripada empat tahap.
Memetik laporan Free Malaysia Today, pihak kedutaan berkata tiada perubahan kepada nasihat perjalanan yang kekal pada tahap satu, iaitu tahap paling rendah daripada empat tahap.
Menteri Luar Malaysia perkukuh hubungan dengan China
Menteri Luar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan mengadakan perbincangan substantif dengan rakan sejawatannya, Wang Yi, dalam lawatan pertama beliau ke China sejak memegang jawatan itu pada Disember 2023.
Kakitangan bakal terima tunggakan gaji dalam tempoh 30 bulan
Isu tunggakan gaji membabitkan 20 bekas kakitangan Kedah Agro Holdings Berhad (KAHB) selama sembilan bulan dijangka selesai dalam waktu terdekat selepas kesemua mereka akan menerima bayaran secara berperingkat dalam tempoh 30 bulan berjumlah RM337,000.