Saad Hariri: Hezbollah and Lebanese government demand return of prime minister ‘kidnapped’ by Saudi Arabia

Officials in Beirut accuse Riyadh of detaining Sunni leader in the country against his will after shock – and some suspect forced – resignation

Bethan McKernan Beirut @mck_beth Friday 10 November 2017 17:15 GMT

At one point on Wednesday evening, more than 22,000 Britons were following the progress of a Nairobi-London flight online, waiting for now ex-International Development Minister Priti Patel to touch down.

A few hours later, thousands in Lebanon were doing the same, tracking a private plane that was supposed to be delivering newly resigned Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh home to Beirut.

When the plane landed, however, Mr Hariri was nowhere to be seen – and the consequences could have much graver fallout than Ms Patel’s tentative holiday meetings.

On Friday the President of Lebanon’s weak government, Michel Aoun, as well as Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, both declared that they believed Mr Hariri had not returned to Beirut because he is being held in Saudi Arabia against his will.

The Prime Minister – who was appointed just over a year ago, ending a two-and-a-half-year deadlock in Lebanon’s parliament – amazed his aides and rivals alike with a surprise resignation delivered from the Saudi capital last Saturday.

Mr Hariri cited his inability to unite Lebanon’s disparate political parties due to foreign Iranian “meddling”, as well as his assassination fears, in a stumbled-over statement broadcast on Saudi television.

Later the same day he made a phone call to President Aoun tendering his resignation, which the President rejected. He has not been heard from since, Lebanese officials say.

Meetings and appointments in his calendar for this week were not cancelled in anticipation of any such move.

In a televised address on Friday, Hezbollah’s powerful Hassan Nasrallah threw Riyadh’s accusations of war-mongering in Yemen back at the Kingdom and claimed the Saudi authorities are holding Mr Hariri hostage.

“During the last year, Lebanon was in a period of political stability and the situation was good. A president was elected, a prime minister was appointed and a government was formed, Mr Nasrallah said.

“We condemn the blunt, bare-faced Saudi intervention in our domestic affairs.

“Any offence to the Lebanese prime minister is an offence to all Lebanese, even when he is our adversary,” he added.

Mr Hariri’s Sunni Future Movement party has long been backed by the Saudis as a bolster in Lebanon’s parliament against Shia, Iran-allied Hezbollah, but it is believed Riyadh had grown impatient with the Prime Minister’s inability to contain Hezbollah’s growing strength both at home and over the border, where it is fighting in Syria’s civil war.

Hariri’s own party has already called for his immediate return home for the “dignity of the nation”.

The international community remained remarkably quiet on the unprecedented Riyadh-Beirut tensions until Friday, when the US, French and German foreign ministries put out statements which said that they believed Mr Hariri was in Riyadh of his own free will.

A delegate travelling with French President Emmanuel Macron, who embarked on a surprise visit to Riyadh on Thursday, told the AP on condition of anonymity that Mr Hariri had told foreign ambassadors himself that he is not a prisoner in Saudi Arabia.

However, the French foreign ministry later offered more nuanced comments which suggested he may not be operating freely.

“We wish that Saad al-Hariri has all his freedom of movement and be fully able to play the essential role that is his in Lebanon,” deputy spokesperson Alexandre Georgini said in a statement.

The Lebanese premier is not the only person who is rumoured to be under house arrest after a week of frantic activity in Riyadh.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the arrests of more than 200 people, including 11 princes, ministers and influential businessmen, in an anti-corruption purge widely viewed as a concentrated effort to consolidate his own powers.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said from a tour of China that there was no reason to believe Mr Hariri was being prevented from returning to Lebanon but he is “monitoring” the situation.

The US supports “the legitimate government of Lebanon” and is “asking other outside parties to stay out of it,” Mr Tillerson added.

In Lebanon, however, the mood remains tense. Dozens of Saudi nationals left the country on Friday after an order from Riyadh for all citizens to evacuate – a decree issued four times over the last five years.

Many Lebanese are despairing over the collapse of a government which held so much promise a year ago, as well as the looming spectre of conflict if Riyadh has indeed decided the tiny country is the new front in its struggles against Iran.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saad-hariri-latest-update-lebanon-hezbollah-saudi-arabia-kidnapping-prime-minister-return-war-a8048571.html

CC: Seun Lalasticlala Mynd44

US joins calls for PM's return to Lebanon from Saudi Arabia

Associated Press

ZEINA KARAM and BASSEM MROUE

Associated PressNovember 10, 2017

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese officials insisted Friday on the return home of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Saudi Arabia, and the leader of the militant group Hezbollah said the Saudis had "declared war" on Lebanon by holding Hariri against his will.

The U.S. added its voice to those urging that Hariri be allowed to return to Lebanon. A political crisis has gripped the country and shattered the relative peace maintained by its coalition government ever since his stunning announcement Nov. 4 from the Saudi capital that he was resigning.

The announcement from the Saudi-aligned Hariri jolted Lebanon and thrust it back into the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The move and exceptionally strong statements by the Saudis against Iran that followed have deepened the mystery about Hariri's fate and led to rumors that he is being held in the kingdom against his will, despite his denials.

For the past year, Hariri has headed a coalition government that included members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. He cited meddling in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region by Iran and Hezbollah in his decision to step down, adding that Iran's arm into the region will be "cut off."

Saudi Arabia appears to want to see Lebanon headed by someone would form a government without Hezbollah, perhaps believing Hariri has become too lenient toward the group.
In a message apparently aimed at the Saudis but which could easily include Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cautioned against using Lebanon as "a venue for proxy conflicts."

If Hariri wants to step down, Tillerson said, he needs to "go back to Lebanon" and formally resign, "so that the government of Lebanon can function properly."

Lebanese President Michel Aoun told Saudi Charge d'Affaires Walid al-Bukhari on Friday that the manner in which Hariri resigned "was unacceptable," a Lebanese official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. He called for Hariri's return.

In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Hariri was being detained in Saudi Arabia and that his "forced" resignation was unconstitutional because it was made "under duress."

"It is clear that Saudi Arabia ... declared war on Lebanon," he said.

Nasrallah said he was certain that Hariri was forced to resign as part of what he called a Saudi policy of meddling in Lebanon's affairs. Hariri is being prevented by Saudi officials from returning to Lebanon, he said, adding that his detention should not be accepted.
But Tillerson said he's seen "no indication" that Hariri was being held against his will.
An official in French President Emmanuel Macron's office also said Hariri has told foreign ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, where he has been since the resignation announcement, that he is not a prisoner.

The French and U.S. ambassadors met with Hariri, who "says he is not a prisoner, the (Saudi crown) prince says he is not a prisoner," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Macron visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the tensions between the kingdom and Lebanon, a former French protectorate.
The official said Hariri did not ask to see Macron, and French officials "don't have any specific signs" that Hariri's life is in danger.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe-1 radio that "to our knowledge," Hariri is not being held against his will, adding that France believes "he is free in his movements, and it is up to him to make his choices."

The crisis was widely seen as a bid by Saudi Arabia to wreck Lebanon's coalition government to try to undermine and limit Iran's influence in the country through the power that Hezbollah wields.

In the first concrete action against Lebanon after days of threats by Saudi government officials, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries ordered their citizens to leave the country amid the soaring tensions. Dozens of citizens of Gulf Arab countries were seen leaving Lebanon early Friday via Beirut's international airport.

In remarks to reporters while flying from China to Vietnam, Tillerson said Washington "supports the stability of Lebanon and is opposed to any actions that could threaten that stability."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said it's essential that Lebanon remain peaceful, warning that a new conflict could have "devastating consequences" in the region.

Hariri's appointment as prime minister and the formation of a government was a result of a tacit agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to sideline Lebanon from other regional proxy wars, particularly in neighboring Syria.
Iran is widely seen to have prevailed over mainly Sunni rebels in Syria, and with the wars in Yemen and the crisis in Qatar at an impasse, the Saudi crown prince may have decided to try to curb Iran's influence in Lebanon.

It is unclear what Saudi Arabia's long-term calculation is with Hariri. So far, it appears to have united the Lebanese against the kingdom, with most people seeing the incident as an affront and a humiliation for him.
Any Saudi military moves in Lebanon would likely be opposed by the international community, which wants to see Lebanon remain calm. Many fear an escalation will pave the way for Israel to strike Hezbollah. The two have fought a number of wars, but there appears to be no immediate indication of an attack.

There is concern that Saudi Arabia could impose punitive measures that would hurt Lebanon's fragile economy.

Lebanese officials are acting with caution, insisting on Hariri's return before starting the complicated task of forming a new government.

In his speech, Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia is punishing Lebanon's people instead of his group. He said the kingdom has shifted its attention to Lebanon after a failed 30-month war in Yemen and with Saudi-backed rebels in Syria suffering setbacks.

"If you think that you can defeat Lebanon, the resistance (Hezbollah) ... then you are wrong, mistaken and will fail, the way you did in all arenas," Nasrallah said.

Without providing any proof, Nasrallah said that Saudi Arabia had asked Israel to attack Hezbollah in return for billions of dollars.
Nasrallah said war with Israel is unlikely amid the Hariri crisis, adding that the group is watching carefully for any Israeli attempts to use it to begin hostilities against Lebanon. He said Israel is cautious and unlikely to make such a move.

Still, he warned Israel against "miscalculation" or "taking advantage of the situation."
___
Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet and Angela Charlton in Paris, Josh Lederman in Washington and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut contributed.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/france-lebanons-hariri-not-believed-saudi-custody-090856308.html

Saad Hariri’s resignation as Prime Minister of Lebanon is not all it seems

He certainly did not anticipate what happened to him. Indeed, Hariri had scheduled meetings in Beirut on the following Monday – with the IMF, the World Bank and a series of discussions on water quality improvement; not exactly the action of a man who planned to resign his premiership

By Robert Fisk
November 9, 2017

When Saad Hariri’s jet touched down at Riyadh on the evening of 3 November, the first thing he saw was a group of Saudi policemen surrounding the plane. When they came aboard, they confiscated his mobile phone and those of his bodyguards. Thus was Lebanon’s prime minister silenced.

It was a dramatic moment in tune with the soap-box drama played out across Saudi Arabia this past week: the house arrest of 11 princes – including the immensely wealthy Alwaleed bin Talal – and four ministers and scores of other former government lackeys, not to mention the freezing of up to 1,700 bank accounts. Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman’s “Night of the Long Knives” did indeed begin at night, only hours after Hariri’s arrival in Riyadh. So what on earth is the crown prince up to?

Put bluntly, he is clawing down all his rivals and – so the Lebanese fear – trying to destroy the government in Beirut, force the Shia Hezbollah out of the cabinet and restart a civil war in Lebanon. It won’t work, for the Lebanese – while not as rich – are a lot smarter than the Saudis. Every political group in the country, including Hezbollah, are demanding one thing only: Hariri must come back. As for Saudi Arabia, those who said that the Arab revolution will one day reach Riyadh – not with a minority Shia rising, but with a war inside the Sunni Wahhabi royal family – are watching the events of the past week with both shock and awe.

But back to Hariri. On Friday 3 November, he was in a cabinet meeting in Beirut. Then he received a call, asking him to see King Salman of Saudi Arabia. Hariri, who like his assassinated father Rafiq, holds Saudi as well as Lebanese citizenship, set off at once. You do not turn down a king, even if you saw him a few days’ earlier, as Hariri had. And especially when the kingdom owes Hariri’s “Oger” company as much as $9bn, for such is the commonly rumoured state of affairs in what we now call “cash-strapped Saudi Arabia”.

But more extraordinary matters were to come. Out of the blue and to the total shock of Lebanese ministers, Hariri, reading from a written text, announced on Saturday on the Arabia television channel – readers can guess which Gulf kingdom owns it – that he was resigning as prime minister of Lebanon. There were threats against his life, he said – though this was news to the seYou curity services in Beirut – and Hezbollah should be disarmed and wherever Iran interfered in the Middle East, there was chaos. Quite apart from the fact that Hezbollah cannot be disarmed without another civil war – is the Lebanese army supposed to attack them when Shia are the largest minority in the country (many of them in the army)? These were not words that Hariri had ever used before. They were not, in other words, written by him. As one who knows him well said this week, “this was not him speaking”. In other words, the Saudis had ordered the prime minister of Lebanon to resign and to read his own departure out loud from Riyadh.

I should add, of course, that Hariri’s wife and family are in Riyadh, so even if he did return to Beirut, there would be hostages left behind. Thus after a week of this outrageous political farce, there is even talk in Beirut of asking Saad Hariri’s elder brother Bahaa to take his seat in the cabinet. But what of Saad himself? Callers have reached him at his Riyadh home, but he speaks only a few words. “He says ‘I will come back’ or ‘I’m fine’, that’s all, only those words, which is very unlike him,” says one who must know. And what if Hariri did come back? Would he claim that his resignation had been forced upon him? Dare the Saudis risk this?

He certainly did not anticipate what happened to him. Indeed, Hariri had scheduled meetings in Beirut on the following Monday – with the IMF, the World Bank and a series of discussions on water quality improvement; not exactly the action of a man who planned to resign his premiership. However, the words he read out – scripted for him – are entirely in line with the speeches of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and with the insane President of the United States who speaks of Iran with the same anger, as does the American Defence Secretary.

Of course, the real story is just what is going on in Saudi Arabia itself, for the crown prince has broken forever the great compromise that exists in the kingdom: between the royal family and the clergy, and between the tribes. This was always the bedrock upon which the country stood or fell. And Mohamed bin Salman has now broken this apart. He is liquidating his enemies – the arrests, needless to say, are supposedly part of an “anti-corruption drive”, a device which Arab dictators have always used when destroying their political opponents.

There will be no complaints from Washington or London, whose desire to share in the divvying up of Saudi Aramco (another of the crown prince’s projects) will smother any thoughts of protest or warning. And given the smarmy reporting of the Crown Prince’s recent speeches in the New York Times, I have my suspicions that even this elderly journalistic organ will be comparatively unworried by the Saudi coup d’etat. For that is what it is. He unseated the interior minister earlier this year and now Mohamed bin Salman is getting rid of his opponents’ financial power.

But ruthless men can also be humble. Hariri was allowed to see the King – the original reason for which he believed he was travelling to Riyadh – and even paid a visit to the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates this week, an ally-nation of the Saudis who would prevent him jumping on a flight to Beirut. But why on earth would Hariri want to go to the Emirates? To prove that he was still free to travel when he cannot even return to the country which he is supposed to be ruling?

Lebanon is always going through the greatest crisis since its last greatest crisis. But this time, it’s for real.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/lebanon-prime-minister-saad-hariri-resignation-not-all-seems-quits-resigns-surprise-saudi-arabia-a8045636.html

Exclusive: Lebanon believes Saudi holds Hariri, demands his return

Laila Bassam, Tom Perry

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon believes Saad al-Hariri is being held in Saudi Arabia, from where he resigned as Lebanese prime minister, two top government officials in Beirut said, amid a deepening crisis pushing Lebanon onto the frontlines of a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

A third source, a senior politician close to Saudi-allied Hariri, said Saudi Arabia had ordered him to resign and put him under house arrest. A fourth source familiar with the situation said Saudi Arabia was controlling and limiting his movement.

In a televised statement indicating deep concern at Hariri’s situation, his Future Movement political party said his return home was necessary to uphold the Lebanese system, describing him as prime minister and a national leader.

Hariri’s resignation last Saturday, read out on television from Saudi Arabia, came as a shock even to his aides and further embroiled Beirut in a regional contest between Riyadh and Tehran.

Hariri’s exit fueled wide speculation that the Sunni Muslim politician, long an ally of Riyadh, was coerced into stepping down by Saudi Arabia as it seeks to hit back against Iran and its Lebanese Shi‘ite ally, Hezbollah.

In his resignation speech, Hariri denounced Iran and Hezbollah for sowing strife in Arab states and said he feared assassination. His father, a former prime minister, was killed by a bomb in 2005.

Saudi Arabia has denied reports he is under house arrest.

But Hariri has issued no statements himself to that effect, and has not denied that his movements are being restricted.

RESTRICTED FREEDOM

“Keeping Hariri with restricted freedom in Riyadh is an attack on Lebanese sovereignty. Our dignity is his dignity. We will work with (foreign) states to return him to Beirut,” said the senior Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the government had yet to declare that position.

Saudi Arabia says Hariri resigned because Hezbollah, which was included in Hariri’s coalition government, had “hijacked” Lebanon’s political system.

Hariri aides had until Thursday denied he was under house arrest but took a dramatically different tone after a meeting of the Future Movement convened at Hariri’s Beirut residence on Thursday.

A statement read by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said his return was “necessary to recover respect for Lebanon’s internal and external balance, and in the framework of full respect for Lebanese legitimacy”.

Hariri’s aunt, Bahia, sat next to Siniora as he read the statement. The party stood behind his leadership, it said.

Hariri came to office last year in a political deal that made the Hezbollah-allied Christian politician Michel Aoun head of state and produced a coalition government grouping most Lebanese parties including Hezbollah.

Saudi Arabia blessed the government at the time, but has been fiercely critical of the Hariri-led government since he stepped down, saying it failed to act against Hezbollah, whose guerrilla army is far more powerful than the weak state.

Saudi Arabia had wanted Hariri to take a tougher stance toward Hezbollah, and he failed to do so, the fourth source said. “He was functioning as if it is business as usual, so the Saudis had to accelerate the process and to force a resignation.”

Saudi Arabia this week lumped Lebanon together with Hezbollah as parties that are hostile to it, breaking with a long-established policy that has drawn a line between them and raising concerns of further Saudi measures.

SAUDI ARRESTS

Hariri flew to Saudi Arabia last Friday.

The top Lebanese government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Lebanon is heading toward asking foreign and Arab states to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to release Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.”

The official said Hariri was still Lebanon’s prime minister, echoing other Lebanese government officials who say his resignation had not been received by Aoun, and his government therefore remained in place.

The resignation of Hariri, a business tycoon whose family made its fortune in Saudi Arabia, happened at the same time as a wave of arrests of Saudi princes and businessmen accused of corruption by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The senior Lebanese politician close to Hariri said: “When he went (to Saudi Arabia) he was asked to stay there and ordered to resign. They ordered him to read his resignation statement and he has been held under house arrest since.”

Two U.S. officials said the Saudis, led by Crown Prince Mohammed, had “encouraged” Hariri to leave office.

The fourth source said: “He is under controlled movement by the Saudis, limited movement.”

Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said Saudi Arabia must halt its interference in Lebanese affairs.

He made a one-day flying visit to the United Arab Emirates, a close Saudi ally, earlier this week before returning to Saudi Arabia.

Hariri’s office said in a statement he had received the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia at his Riyadh residence on Thursday. He had also met the head of the EU mission to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, and on Tuesday the British ambassador and the U.S. charge d‘affaires.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert confirmed U.S. Charge d‘Affaires Chris Henzel met with Hariri. Asked about reports Hariri was being held in Saudi Arabia, Nauert declined to elaborate on his status or what was discussed, calling the talks “sensitive, private, diplomatic conversations.”

Nauert indicated the United States would not treat the Lebanese government any differently as a result of the uncertainty over Hariri.

Saudi Arabia warned its citizens on Thursday against travel to Lebanon and said those already there should leave. It has issued similar advice about Lebanon to its citizens before.

Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch will visit Saudi Arabia next week and has received “a positive response” from Saudi officials over the possibility of seeing Hariri, his spokesman said.

Patriarch Beshara al-Rai’s visit “had been decided on a long time ago. In light of the developments, his mission has become national,” Walid Ghayyad said. The patriarch will take a message to the kingdom that “Lebanon cannot handle conflict.”

Additional reporting by Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry, Ellen Francis, Sarah Dadouch and Lisa Barrington in Beirut and John Walcott in Washington; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Toby Chopra and Peter Cooney
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-politics/exclusive-lebanon-believes-saudi-holds-hariri-demands-his-return-idUSKBN1D914F

The US has to cut diwn the brazeness of the saudis becaise its getting too much

FarahAideed:
The US has to cut diwn the brazeness of the saudis becaise its getting too much

Here's another angle to this story.

With it long being known that Hillary Clinton was being secretly funded by the radical Wahhabists in Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to continue the “remaking” of the Middle East, this report continues, her failure to win over President Trump has now pushed the entire world to the brink of war — and that is due to everyone knowing that Trump will never launch a war against Iran like the “Deep State” had planned to do — and that has now plunged the Saudi-Israeli Axis into such total turmoil over Iran’s growing power, Israel is now conducting the largest aerial drill in its entire history.

This historic, and massive, Israeli aerial drill, this report explains, was timed to coincide with a supposed Lebanese Hezbollah “false flag” rocket attack upon Israel that would force President Trump into joining a war against both Lebanon and Syria — and that would, of course, involve Iran too — but that Trump was able to discover before it was carried out, and who secretly rushed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Saudi Arabia to warn Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about what was soon to occur.

Upon being warned about this “Deep State” planned “false flag” event by President Trump, this report notes, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman immediately summoned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the Saudi capital of Riyadh — and who upon arriving was bluntly told that what was being planned was “an act of war” — and thereafter, Crown Prince bin Salman then ordered Prime Minister Hariri to immediately go on Saudi television and resign, which he did, as he would have, most assuredly, never left Saudi Arabia alive.

Less than 24 hours after Crown Prince bin Salman forced Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri to resign or be killed, this report grimly states, a “false flag” missile attack was launched against Riyadh’s international airport — which the Wahhabists in Saudi Arabia immediately blamed on Iran in their attempt to incite war — but that Crown Prince bin Salman rapidly responded to by launching a “sweeping crackdown” against these Wahhabists by arresting them and their supporters — and that included the killing of Prince Mansour bin Muqrin (by helicopter shootdown) and Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd (by firefight) who had ordered the rocket attack on Riyadh’s airport.

Hariri family are in the pocket of saudi.

More reliable person is better as prime minister.