The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, sent representatives to Paris to show support for Lebanon. Speaking afterwards, Tillerson urged US ally Saudi Arabia to be “more measured” in its dealings with its neighbours, including Lebanon. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of using armed proxies such as Hezbollah to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria and Iraq. A Lebanese source close to the premier told AFP that Riyadh threatened Lebanon with economic sanctions unless he stepped down. Riyadh´s power play in Lebanon backfired, with the various Lebanese factions coming together this week to avoid a political breakdown.

Source: Pakistan Today December 08, 2017 18:56 UTC