Lebanese PM invited to France amid resignation crisis
BEIRUT — French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday invited Saad Hariri and his family to come to France after the Lebanese prime minister’s surprise resignation earlier this month, amid allegations that Saudi Arabia is holding him prisoner.
Hariri’s older brother meanwhile broke his silence over the premier’s shock resignation announced from Riyadh earlier this month, after speculation that the elder Hariri was being groomed by Saudi Arabia to fill the post.
Bahaa Hariri, in a statement to the Associated Press, said he supported his brother’s resignation and thanked Saudi Arabia for “decades of support” for Lebanon’s institutions. He accused Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of seeking to “take control of Lebanon.”
Hariri declined to comment further in a phone call with the AP.