Saudi- Lebanese relations have warmed significantly following the recent visit of Thamer Al Sabhan, the Saudi minister for Gulf Affairs, to Beirut.
His visit had three key objectives: the return of the Saudi ambassador to Beirut, the lifting of the ban on Saudi tourists travelling to Lebanon and increasing the frequency of flights to and from Beirut.
The visit comes on the heels of a recent tour of the region by Lebanon’s new president Michel Aoun, who last month travelled to Saudi Arabia. Mr Aoun is indebted to the kingdom for supporting his presidential nomination despite his former alliance with Hizbollah.
Historically, Saudi Arabia has offered political and financial support to Lebanon.
The GCC countries host more than 400,000 Lebanese professionals and skilled workers whose remittances provide an important cushion to their families back home in Lebanon. Iran, while constantly seeking to assert itself throughout the Middle East, is not popular in Lebanon outside Hizbollah’s circles of influence.
Iranian interference in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen and Hizbollah’s involvement in these three conflicts had previously complicated Lebanese-Saudi relations, especially after Iranian propaganda claimed dominance over four Arab capitals – Baghdad, Damascus, Sanaa and Beirut.
Relations between the kingdom and Beirut had been further complicated by the long-running presidential vacuum – now filled by Mr Aoun – which had been at least partially created by Iranian intervention and Hizbollah’s threats.
Mr Aoun’s January visit to Saudi Arabia – a tour on which he was accompanied by seven ministers, reflecting the multisectarian political components of the country – allowed the Saudi leadership to listen to Mr Aoun’s plans before responding positively after watching the direction that the new Lebanese political settlement was taking.
The kingdom’s historical position on Lebanon was founded, in part, during the negotiations in 1989 for the Taif Agreement, which ended the civil war and restored peace and security.
The agreement, which established several principles – including the notion of Lebanon as a sovereign, free and independent country that is Arab in belonging and identity – became the long-standing framework for Lebanese-Saudi relations. This was exemplified by the appointment of Lebanese Saudi entrepreneur Rafik Hariri as prime minister in 1992.
Several Gulf states – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait – played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon in the early 1990s following the end of the civil war.
Saudi generosity was also evident in the funds that were poured into reconstruction after the civil war and again after the conflict with Israel.
Does the recent warming of diplomatic relations between the two countries point to a restoration of that historical accord? Only time will tell.
Maha Samara is a journalist in Beirut
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Napoleon
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Company%20profile
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5