Lebanon–Saudi Arabia relations

The diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are the relationship between two Arab nations in the Middle East. Lebanon has an embassy in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Beirut.

Saudi Arabia - Lebanon relations

Lebanon	Saudi Arabia

History

Historically, both two were parts of the Ottoman Empire, with Lebanon under a self-government rule while what would be the modern day-Saudi Arabia was under the direct control of the Ottoman Empire.[1] After the end of the Ottoman rule, the Turks vacated from both nations and the Saudi Kingdom would be found from the ashes of the World War I while Lebanon fell under the French rule.[2] It was not until the end of the World War II that saw the two nations officially established relations.

Modern

The two countries established relations once World War II came to an end. In the first decades, Lebanon was embroiled with the conflict against Israel as part of greater Arab–Israeli conflict, Saudi Arabia provided political support for Lebanon but did not send any military force to assist the Lebanese.[3] This remained until the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War, where Saudi Arabia began to play the role as a peace broker for the Lebanese affairs, during which the Saudis sent a group of peacekeeping soldiers to the country before merging with the Arab Deterrent Force. However, it was that time witnessed the rise of the Islamic Iran, overthrowing the previous Shah's rule and Iran began prompting its presence via Hezbollah. This had raised alarm among the Saudi government and as for the result, with the Taif Agreement being signed, Saudi Arabia started to pour billions of dollars to reconstruct Lebanon in order to fend off growing Iranian influence.[4]

Nonetheless, the diplomatic relationship between the two sometimes is rocky. In 2006 Lebanon War, Saudi Arabia was found to have secretly approved the Israeli incursion to Lebanon. The Saudi government's covert support, which is leaked by the Israeli media a few years later, had led to tensions.[5] It was further exacerbated by the increasing Hezbollah militant networks across the region which could threaten Saudi Arabia since Hezbollah is seen as Iran's arm in the region, already been bolstered by the presence of the Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, and recent Hezbollah's activities in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.[6]

In 2017, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon were involved in a diplomatic conflict that almost sparked into a war, where Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri summoned his resignation under Saudi pressure to oust the Hezbollah from Lebanon.[7] This was followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE calling its citizens to leave Lebanon.[8] Later, Hariri revoked the resignation and continued to serve as Prime Minister until 2020.

Both Lebanon and Saudi Arabia openly supported solving the Palestinian question in favor to the Palestinian side at the peace process with Israel.[9]

See also

• Lebanese people in Saudi Arabia

References

1. Traboulsi, Fawwaz (2012). A History of Modern Lebanon. Pluto Press. ISBN 9780745332741. JSTOR j.ctt183p4f5.
2. http://www.lgic.org/en/history_lebanon1516.php
3. https://mepc.org/journal/saudi-arabia-and-arab-israeli-peace-process
4. https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/saudi-policy-lebanon-no-easy-option-riyadh-20396
5. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/how-saudi-arabia-supported-israels-2006-war-lebanon
6. https://mepc.org/journal/saudi-arabia-calls-out-hezbollah-why-now
7. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/24/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-saad-hariri-mohammed-bin-salman-lebanon.html
8. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/10/saudi-arabia-orders-citizens-to-leave-lebanon-as-tensions-rise
9. Kostiner, Joseph (2009). "Saudi Arabia and the Arab-Israeli Peace Process: The Fluctuation of Regional Coordination". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 36 (3): 417–429. doi:10.1080/13530190903338946. JSTOR 40593283. S2CID 144421225.