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Bassil Says 'Lebanon is Not Hizbullah', Tells Saudi Its Problem is with Iran

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil stressed Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should not act against entire Lebanon if it has a problem with Hizbullah or Iran.

“Our premier is not Hizbullah and I'm not Hizbullah, and if Saudi Arabia has a problem with Iran, let it resolve it with Iran, not with Lebanon and the Lebanese,” said Bassil during a meeting in Rome with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano.

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Rouhani Accuses Saudi of 'Rare' Intervention in Lebanon

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday ratcheted up the rhetoric against Saudi Arabia, his country's main regional rival, saying the kingdom pressured Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign in a "rare" intervention in another nation's affairs.

Rouhani also accused Saudi Arabia, without naming the kingdom, of "begging" Israel to bomb Lebanon. Iran-allied Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has made the same accusation.

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Lebanon: Developments since Hariri's Resignation

A timeline of developments since the surprise announcement by Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Saudi Arabia that he was resigning.

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Love Him or Hate Him, Lebanese Want PM Hariri Home

Lebanon's divided politicians rarely agree on anything, but they have fleetingly united in calling for Prime Minister Saad Hariri to return home, even if their motivations vary vastly.

Hariri announced his resignation on November 4, in a shock statement delivered from Saudi Arabia on the kingdom's Al-Arabiya television station.

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Supporters Say Refusing to Free Paris-Held Lebanese-Canadian 'Absurd'

Lawyers and supporters of the chief suspect in a deadly attack on a Paris synagogue in 1980 expressed disappointment at his being denied release for an eighth time on Tuesday.

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Macron Says Hariri Must Submit Resignation in Lebanon, Le Drian to Meet PM in Saudi

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a fresh statement via a spokesman Wednesday, stressed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri should be able to return to Lebanon to confirm, or not, his resignation.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will meanwhile meet with Hariri on Thursday during a visit to Saudi Arabia, an aide said.

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Aoun Says Hariri 'Detained' in Saudi Arabia, PM Denies

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday accused Saudi Arabia of having "detained" Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who announced his resignation in a statement from the kingdom earlier this month.

"Nothing justifies the failure of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to return for 12 days, therefore we consider him to be held and detained, contrary to the Vienna Convention," Aoun said in a tweet on the official Lebanese presidency account.

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Mustaqbal Lashes Out at Assad's Remarks about Hariri

Al-Mustaqbal Movement strongly replied to Syrian President Bashar Assad's accusations against Prime Minister Saad Hariri, urging him to “stop sticking his nose in Lebanon's affairs.”

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Report: Hariri's Relatives Say He Will be Back in Days

Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who submitted his resignation on November 4 from Saudi Arabia, will reportedly return to Lebanon within two days, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday.

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Army Arrests Mustafa Hujeiri

The Lebanese army on Tuesday arrested fugitive Islamist cleric Mustafa al-Hujeiri, aka Abou Taqiyeh, in the northeastern border town of Arsal, the Army Command-Orientation Directorate said in a statement.

The statement added that the arrest was made early at dawn and that interrogations have kicked off with the related judiciary.

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