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Saudi Arabia seeks to turn back clock on Iran

The debacle surrounding the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister amid growing Saudi hostility toward Iran suggests a coming showdown in the region.
Saad al-Hariri, who announced his resignation as Lebanon's Prime Minister while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, is pictured at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 18, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier - RC12B497C730
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The abrupt resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month and the events surrounding his presence in Riyadh appear to have increased Iran-Saudi tensions and brought to the fore the possibility of a new military confrontation in the region.

The recent developments come just over one year after the deal that ended a 2½-year political vacuum in Lebanon, whereby former army commander Michel Aoun became president and Hariri prime minister. Yet it seems Lebanon is once again entering a new crisis, and once again with the seeming hallmarks of foreign interference.

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