Ten and a half months have passed since the presidential seat in Lebanon became vacant on May 25, 2014. There was a general belief in Beirut that the election of a new Lebanese president would depend on the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries, particularly the deal between Tehran and Washington.
A few years ago, just before the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, there was an equation in Beirut that hinted to the fact that any Lebanese settlement was tied to a Saudi-Syrian accord, which was known as “seen-seen” (Arabic for "S-S," in reference to the first letters of the two countries). Yet, as the war in Syria persisted, it became obvious that Damascus' ability to decisively influence the situation in Lebanon had dwindled.