Lebanese president ‘will not accept prime minister’s resignation until he returns’
Beirut — Lebanon’s president will not accept the resignation of prime minister Saad al-Hariri until he returns to Lebanon, palace sources said on Sunday, delaying politically difficult consultations on his successor. Hariri left Lebanon for Saudi Arabia on Friday and resigned on Saturday in a televised statement that took the Lebanese political establishment by surprise. He cited an assassination plot against him and criticised the regional role of Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Lebanon’s army said on Sunday it had not uncovered any plot. The move has thrust Lebanon back into the arena of regional rivalry between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, an ally of Hariri, and Shia Muslim Iran, which backs Hezbollah. President Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, will wait to accept or reject Hariri’s resignation until he returns to Lebanon to explain his reasons, sources at the presidential palace said. Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat cited unnamed sources close to Hariri as s...
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