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Why Iranian-Saudi game in Lebanon is far from over

Iranian officials were quick to congratulate Michel Aoun on becoming president of Lebanon, while their Saudi rivals, not so pleased with his new position, took a little longer.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, upon his arrival to the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2SD04
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Lebanon’s long leadership vacuum came to an end on Oct. 31, after the parliament elected former general Michel Aoun as the country’s new president. The 81-year-old was appointed after he obtained the backing of the two major blocs, the March 8 coalition and the anti-Syrian March 14 coalition, led by Saad Hariri, whom Aoun tapped as prime minister on Nov. 3 to form a new government. Political infighting between the two coalitions had produced the two-and-a-half-year deadlock that left Lebanon without a head of state. Some observers view their consensus as turning Lebanon into the new focal point in the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh backing Hariri and his allies and Tehran supporting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other members of the March 8 coalition. That said, what ended Lebanon’s political stalemate, and who was the winner and loser in all this?

On Oct. 26, former Saudi diplomat Abdullah al-Shammari told Al-Monitor’s Ali Hashem, “This is an implication of the change in relations with Saudi Arabia, mainly with the new leadership that deals with Lebanon reasonably and not passionately. Maybe this is good for Hariri. It is time for him to take his decisions by himself after all these years of addiction to Saudi money and staying at his palace in Riyadh; it is time for him to gain strength and return to his popular base.”

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