Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks at the Saudi-American investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh on May 13, 2025. (Credit: Fayez Nureldine.)
BEIRUT — Lebanon once again featured prominently in today's speeches at the summit in Riyadh between Gulf state leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday for the first leg of his regional tour.
In his opening speech, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the "necessity for a monopoly of arms within the Lebanese state," referring to Hezbollah's disarmament.
Hezbollah, a longstanding adversary of Saudi Arabia, was significantly weakened by the 2023-2024 war with Israel, which killed much of its leadership, notably its emblematic secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah. Since then, the newly elected government has made Hezbollah's disarmament a primary objective for the country's reform.
Arab and international pressure continues to mount on the new government to enforce Hezbollah's disarmament (in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 and 2024-2025 conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel). The Lebanese Army has already deployed in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has historically had a strong political and military presence.
Saudi Arabia, whose relations are being gradually restored with Lebanon after several years of distancing, "continues to support efforts for stability in this country," said bin Salman.
'A once-in-a-generation opportunity' for Lebanon
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke again at length about Lebanon, which he also discussed the previous day in Riyadh. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to forge a Lebanon that is prosperous and at peace with its neighbors," he said. "Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has the opportunity to build a state away from Hezbollah."
Trump also reiterated his tirades against Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah and several other groups in the region, asserting that this country "cannot acquire nuclear weapons."
"Iran must halt its bloody proxy wars in the region," he said, referring to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon involving Israel against Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as with the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. is currently negotiating with Iran regarding its nuclear program and its influence in the Middle East.
"We will work with all our strength to end the conflict in Gaza and to secure the release of American hostages," added Trump.
"We have struck a heavy blow against the Houthis," the U.S. president repeated on Thursday. The Houthis' attacks on American and Israeli ships in the Red Sea have incurred an intensive campaign of American bombings. Despite a cease-fire brokered between the U.S. and the Houthis last weekend, the Yemeni group continue to regularly launch missiles into Israel, including four on Wednesday.
He discussed having "lifted sanctions against Syria after talks with Prince Mohammed bin Salman," revealing that his country "aspires to normalize relations with the new Syrian government." Earlier today, Trump met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the summit in Riyadh, notably asking him to join the "Abraham Accords," i.e., to normalize relations with Israel.
During this event, the Kuwaiti Prince Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah expressed hope that this summit would be a precursor to a "more stable and balanced regional system, based on international law." He reiterated the need for new negotiations in the Middle East that guarantee "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital."
During his first term, Trump was the first president to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
For his part, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa praised American efforts to establish peace in the region.
