Saudi Arabia invites Lebanese president to visit the kingdom

Lebanon's newly elected President Michel Aoun accepts Riyadh's invitation to visit the oil-rich kingdom.

1 min read

22 November, 2016

Aoun was elected last month after a 29-month vacuum in the country's top post [Anadolu]

Saudi Arabia has invited the newly elected Lebanese president to visit the oil-rich kingdom.

Saudi Prince Khaled al-Faisal told reporters Monday after meeting President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace near Beirut that the president has accepted the invitation and agreed to visit after a new cabinet is formed in Lebanon.

Aoun was elected last month after a 29-month vacuum in the country's top post.

Lebanon's political factions are deeply divided, with some, like Aoun's Christian party and the Hizballah militant group, aligning with Iran and their opponents siding with Saudi Arabia.

In February, Saudi Arabia halted a $3 billion arms deal with Lebanon, a decision linked to the kingdom's tensions with Iran.

Iran and Hizballah support Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Saudi Arabia backs the rebels trying to topple him.