How Iran-Saudi rapprochement is impacting Lebanon

Iran has been hinting at potential rapprochement with Saudi Arabia for quite some time now, and in Lebanon, historical rival parties are showing signs of consensus as well.
Lebanon's Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (L) shakes hands with Maronite Christian leader Samir Geagea (R) during a meeting of Lebanese rival politicians at the parliament in downtown Beirut, May 16, 2006. REUTERS/Hassan Ibrahim /Pool - RTR1DF3M
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (L) shakes hands with Maronite Christian leader Samir Geagea (R) during a meeting of Lebanese rival politicians at the parliament in downtown Beirut, May 16, 2006. - REUTERS/Hassan Ibrahim
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Josephine Deeb
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Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Jan. 16 that Iran does not want to topple the Saudi royal family because leaving an opening for the Islamic State to rise would not be any better.

Shamkhani’s words did not go unnoticed in the regional and Lebanese political scenes.

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