In one eventful week for the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has intensified its engagement with Lebanon through high-level contacts, providing a significant political boost towards efforts to consolidate the ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
After the truce was reached, the Saudi Foreign Ministry praised the agreement. It commended the "significant and positive roles" played by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
The ceasefire followed the first round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, held at the US State Department in Washington.
Before the agreement was reached, and as Hezbollah escalated rhetoric in rejection of direct negotiations with Israel, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of Mr Berri’s parliamentary bloc, travelled to Riyadh to meet the Saudi envoy to Lebanon, Prince Yazid bin Farhan.
They held discussions at Saudi Arabia’s request, according to Lebanese sources familiar with the matter. Mr Berri is an ally of Hezbollah. The move signalled the launch of increased political efforts to advance a ceasefire agreement.
The kingdom has since become more involved in a push to stem the Lebanese crisis, seeking to halt the Israel-Hezbollah war and open the path towards a political settlement, amid what some regional observers described as a tacit acknowledgement by Tehran of Riyadh’s role in Lebanon.
This week, Mr Aoun held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, during which the Saudi leader reaffirmed the kingdom’s support for Lebanon and its people.
The diplomatic push continued with Prince Yazid's visit to Lebanon on Thursday, which coincided with a second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon held at the White House and attended by US President Donald Trump.
Lebanese sources said that Prince Yazid had been in Paris before travelling to Beirut, where he held a series of meetings aimed at extending the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The initial truce had been set for 10 days. Following the Washington meeting, Mr Trump announced that the ceasefire had been extended by three weeks.
Prince Yazid discussed with Mr Salam and Mr Aoun Saudi Arabia’s role in supporting Lebanon to overcome this phase, as well as the need to preserve civil peace and maintain internal stability. He also conveyed the importance of fully implementing the Taif Agreement, according to informed sources.
The Taif Agreement was a 1989 accord reached in Taif, Saudi Arabia, aimed at ending Lebanon’s 15-year civil war. It rebalanced political power by reducing the authority of the Maronite Christian presidency in favour of a stronger cabinet and a more equitable sectarian distribution of parliamentary seats between Christians and Muslims.
It also called for the disarmament of militias – except Hezbollah, which was allowed at the time to retain its weapons to resist Israeli occupation.
The situation today is different, as the Lebanese state seeks to reassert sovereignty across all territory and has moved to ban Hezbollah’s military activities. This followed the group’s decision to open fire on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The government’s move underlined a dramatic shift in Lebanon's power balance.
Broader settlement
A Lebanese government official told The National that Saudi Arabia is moving within the framework of a broader regional settlement to help address the problems in Lebanon.
"Saudi Arabia's moves in Lebanon are a pre-emptive step ahead of regional understandings taking shape. Riyadh prefers to regulate the pace, particularly on the Lebanese front," said the official.
Saudi Arabia re-engaged Lebanon following the election of Mr Aoun as President in 2025, the appointment of Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister, as well as serious Lebanese government discussions on disarming Hezbollah. The shift marked a break from years of Saudi diplomatic distance, driven largely by Iran’s expanding influence in Lebanon through its support for Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, once a powerful military and political group, has long dominated Lebanese state institutions and has been described as a “state within a state”. The group has also adopted positions in the past that are hostile to Saudi Arabia.
But in September, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem urged the kingdom to turn "a new page" with the group and set aside past disputes to create a unified front against Israel. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states designated Hezbollah a terrorist organisation in 2016.
Riyadh has historically signalled respect for Lebanon’s communal diversity, without engaging in the country’s internal sectarian balances. It has also maintained ties with political and religious figures across Lebanon’s various sects.
"While Saudi Arabia does not maintain good relations with Hezbollah, it is also mindful of preserving Lebanon’s sectarian balance and avoiding the marginalisation or exclusion of any major community," said the government official.
