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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Lebanon PM resigns, says fears for his life

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BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation on Saturday, citing threats to his life.


“I announce my resignation from the post of prime minister,” he said in a speech broadcast from Saudi Arabia by the Al Arabiya news network.


“I felt what was being covertly plotted to target my life,” Hariri said. The two-time prime minister’s father Rafik Hariri held the same position for years and was assassinated in 2005.


The 47-year-old politician’s resignation comes less than a year after his government was formed.


“In recent years, Hezbollah has used the power of its weapons to impose a fait accompli,” he said, reading a speech from behind a desk.


Hezbollah is a vital ally of Syrian President Bashar al Assad in the war the Syrian regime is waging against the IS group and armed opposition movements.


It claims it is the only credible rampart against neighbouring Israel and its refusal to disarm is the main political crux in Lebanon.


Rafik Hariri, the dominant figure of Lebanon’s post-war political landscape, had made his fortune in Saudi Arabia, where his son Saad was born.


The office of Lebanese President Michel Aoun issued a statement confirming Hariri had tendered his resignation.


“President Aoun is waiting for Hariri’s return to Beirut to enquire about the circumstances of his decision and decide on the next steps,” a statement said.


Hariri said in his speech that the political climate in Lebanon was reminiscent of that which prevailed before his father was killed.


The February 2005 assassination triggered political upheaval that led to Syria’s military withdrawal from Lebanon.


Walid Jumblatt, one of Lebanon’s political heavyweights and the country’s most prominent Druze leader, said Hariri’s resignation could adversely affect a country already under huge strain.


He called for intensifying diplomatic efforts to solve the feud.


“Lebanon is too small and vulnerable to bear the economic and political burden that comes with this resignation,” he said on social media. — AFP


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