The above photograph was released by the Iranian government:
It shows Khalil al-Hmaydane (head of Saudi intelligence) and Saïd Irouani (.) [Voltaire Network]
Amidst an ongoing political row between Lebanon and Gulf states and Hezbollah's tightening grip on Lebanese politics, it is unlikely that Saudi Arabia will recant its hardline position on the crisis-hit nation anytime soon, writes Mona Alami.
By Fady Noun
The call for a UN-sponsored international conference to get Lebanon out of its current constitutional crisis, issued by the head of the Maronite Church, Cardinal Beshara Al-Rahi last summer, is gaining traction at home and abroad.
It received indirect support from Saudi Arabia yesterday. Back in Lebanon after a noticeable absence of two months, seen by Lebanese political circles as a sign of Saudi “disinterestedness” of the fate of Lebanon, the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Boukhari, is actively working to renew talks with Lebanese political leaders, from which the Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, is still excluded for now.