Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, formally revoked his resignation yesterday after his cabinet agreed to commit to a policy of “dissociation” from regional conflicts.
The decision comes after a month of political turmoil for Lebanon when Hariri resigned from his post in a November 4 announcement from Saudi Arabia. Hariri later said he would withdraw his resignation if Lebanon returned to its “dissociation” stance — a policy of neutrality towards conflicts across the region.
The prime minister and his main regional backer, Saudi Arabia, argue that the policy has been undermined by the increased meddling in the Middle East by Iran and its main regional proxy, the Lebanese Shia force Hizbollah.
Following the first cabinet meeting since the resignation crisis broke, Hariri said, “All political components decided to dissociate themselves from all conflicts, disputes, wars or the internal affairs of brother Arab countries, in order to preserve Lebanon’s economic and political relations.”
Lebanese leaders accused Riyadh of holding Hariri against his will in the kingdom and forcing him to resign, charges that Saudi Arabia denies.
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