Last week, Lebanese Prime Minister resigned while traveling to Saudi Arabia. According to Saad Hariri, he did so because of Iran’s excessive meddling the affairs in the region, as seen in Syria and Iraq for the past couple of years. Not unusual to this type of situation, the resignation of the Hariri will leave a power vacuum in Lebanon, and… Read more »
At the heart of recent conflicts in the Middle East has been the struggle between two major powers for influence over the region. These countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, have had tense relations for years, having fought against each other vicariously by backing different sides in various regional conflicts. A substantial part of the rivalry lies in religion, having to… Read more »
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/04/middleeast/lebanese-prime-minister-saad-hariri-resigns/index.html CNN)Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri unexpectedly resigned Saturday during a trip to Saudi Arabia, saying his life was in danger, and creating a leadership vacuum in an already politically fractured country. In a televised address from Riyadh, Hariri said he feared an assassination plot and accused Iran of meddling in the region, causing “devastation and chaos.” “Iran controls the region and… Read more »
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/urges-action-saudi-blames-iran-missile-171108044458611.html The United States has called on the United Nationsto act against Iran after Saudi Arabia, a Washington ally, accused Tehran of “direct military aggression” through the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Amid an escalating war of words, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pointed the fingeron Tuesday to Iran for supplying a ballistic missile that was fired on Saturday from Houthi-held territory towards Riyadh’s international airport. Saudi-led forces, which have been… Read more »
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/uae-plan-wage-financial-war-qatar-revealed-171109165302445.html A United Arab Emirates plan to attack Qatar’s financial system has been revealed in a folder of an email account belonging to the UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba. The Intercept, a US-based investigative website, obtained the folder and exposed the plot, which involves an attack on Qatar’s currency “using bonds and derivatives manipulation”. The UAE also aims to increase Qatar’s… Read more »
Middle East tensions rise as Iran and Saudi Arabia jostle for power – Financial Times A string of escalatory moves in the Gulf in recent days suggests the long-brewing cold war between Saudi Arabia and its regional arch-rival Iran could soon grow hot. It began with the surprise resignation of the Lebanese prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, announced on Saturday from… Read more »
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/saudi-fm-seeks-pressure-iran-hezbollah-171109193012811.html Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has called for new international sanctions to be imposed on Iran for “its support for terrorism”, as an escalating war of words between Tehran and Riyadh sends ripples across the region. Adel al-Jubeir said “Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism” in an interview with US television network CNBC that aired on Thursday. He… Read more »
Lebanon crisis: Iran-Saudi power struggle over Hariri – Al Jazeera Saad Hariri’s resignation as Lebanese prime minister could lead to an extended crisis in the country with neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia achieving their preferred outcomes, analysts told Al Jazeera. Hariri quit in a televised speech while in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, just 11 months into his second stint as… Read more »
Saudi, UAE, Kuwait urge citizens to leave Lebanon – Al Jazeera Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have advised their citizens not to travel to Lebanon and urged those who are in the country to leave as soon as possible. Saudi Arabia’s official news agency SPA quoted a source in the foreign ministry on Thursday as saying: “Due… Read more »
PM Saad Hariri’s party demands his return to Lebanon – France 24 The political party of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned from Saudi Arabia under mysterious circumstances five days ago, demanded on Thursday that he return from the kingdom immediately. The statement seemed to imply that Hariri was being held against his will. Saudi Arabia meanwhile ordered all… Read more »