Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri has confirmed he plans to return to Beirut on Wednesday, in time to join the country in its Independence Day celebrations.
“I will return to Beirut in the coming days,” Hariri told reporters after talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron this weekend. “I will participate in the celebrations for our independence and it is there that I will make known my position on all the issues after meeting with the president of our republic, General Michel Aoun.”
Aoun has refused to accept Hariri’s resignation until he returns to the country.
Hariri, who is a dual national with Saudi citizenship, announced he was stepping down in a shock broadcast on November 4 from Riyadh, after having fled Beirut one day earlier. He blamed Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy terror group, Hezbollah, for the decision, pointing to the “chaos and destruction” sowed in the region by Tehran.