BEIRUT — Thousands of Lebanese taking part in the country’s annual marathon used the event to call on Prime Minister Saad Hariri to return home after he resigned under mysterious circumstances during a visit to Saudi Arabia. His father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, was killed by a car bomb in Beirut in 2005. One woman raised a placard reading: “We want our prime minister back.”Ibrahim al-Masri, a 37-year-old Hariri supporter, said the Lebanese don’t know if the prime minister is staying in Saudi Arabia by choice. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its rhetoric against Hezbollah and its patron, Iran, accusing both of supporting Shiite rebels in Yemen known as Houthis. Saudi Arabia has asked its citizens to leave Lebanon, and many Lebanese fear further economic sanctions or even military action against their country.

Source: National Post November 12, 2017 10:52 UTC