Lebanon president says awaits PM to discuss resignation

By Wasim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Saturday he awaited the return of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Beirut to hear the “circumstances of his resignation”.

In a statement, the Lebanese Presidency said Aoun had received a phone call from Hariri “from outside Lebanon” to resign as the country’s prime minister.

In a televised address from Saudi Arabia earlier Saturday, Hariri announced a surprise resignation from his post, attributing the move to what he described as Iranian attempts to impose its hegemony on Lebanon.

He criticized Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, accusing Tehran of planting “sedition” and meddling in Arab affairs.

Hariri was appointed prime minister in late 2016, leading a 30-member government that included Hezbollah.

His resignation came one day after he arrived in Riyadh for his second visit to the oil-rich kingdom in less than a week.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional arch foes. While Riyadh supports the Syrian opposition, Iran and Hezbollah are main backers of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime.