Lebanese and Saudi flags. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
BEIRUT — Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan arrived in Beirut on Sunday evening and met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to discuss, among other topics, the state’s monopoly on arms, according to information obtained by L’Orient Today.
The meeting at the Baabda Presidential Palace, which was not reported by either the Lebanese presidency or Saudi authorities, covered “ongoing issues” such as Hezbollah’s arsenal, relations with Syria, and expected reforms, according to a source close to the presidency.
Bin Farhan is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday evening after Salam's return from Damascus.
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Renewed interest in Lebanon
Riyadh has played an active role in Beirut-Damascus relations in recent weeks, and Salam’s visit to Syria reportedly has Saudi backing. During his recent trip to Riyadh, where he joined Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Eid al-Fitr prayers in early April, Salam discussed the Syrian file, particularly within the framework of Saudi efforts to promote stability, demarcate borders and combat cross-border smuggling.
Saudi Arabia has shown renewed interest in Lebanon after years of keeping its distance, largely because of Saudi Arabia's growing alliance with the U.S., pushing it to keep its distance from the Iranian axis, namely Hezbollah in Lebanese politics. However, the party’s influence has waned in recent months amid its war with Israel, which ended as a cease-fire came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, despite near-daily Israeli strikes and violations that continue today.
That decline has brought renewed focus to the question of Hezbollah’s weapons, as its disarmament was a key term in the cease-fire agreement.
Reforms and the state’s authority over all Lebanese territory were also discussed Monday morning during a meeting between Salam and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit, according to a statement posted by the Grand Serail on X.
Salam hosted Aboul Gheit for a working breakfast at his residence before heading to Damascus. The two discussed Lebanon’s commitment to reforms and the importance of reasserting the state’s sovereignty and control “over its entire territory by its own forces,” the statement said. They also talked about the international pressure needed to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from positions still occupied in southern Lebanon.
The Grand Serail said Salam would travel to Damascus with a ministerial delegation that includes Foreign Minister Joe Rajji, Defense Minister Michel Menassah and Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar.
