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| Saad Hariri: Lebanon PM says he is 'on way to airport' to leave Saudi Arabia | Saad Hariri: Lebanon PM says he is 'on way to airport' to leave Saudi Arabia |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is reportedly on his way to the airport in Riyadh two weeks after he abruptly quit and fled to Saudi Arabia. | Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is reportedly on his way to the airport in Riyadh two weeks after he abruptly quit and fled to Saudi Arabia. |
| The development, reported by AFP, suggests he will soon leave the desert kingdom, though his destination is not yet known. | The development, reported by AFP, suggests he will soon leave the desert kingdom, though his destination is not yet known. |
| Lebanon’s President, Michel Aoun, had claimed Mr Hariri was being held hostage by the Saudis. | Lebanon’s President, Michel Aoun, had claimed Mr Hariri was being held hostage by the Saudis. |
| Mr Hariri, who sparked a crisis by resigning as Lebanese prime minister on 4 November during a visit to Saudi Arabia, tweeted: "To say that I am held up in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to leave the country is a lie. I am on the way to the airport..." | Mr Hariri, who sparked a crisis by resigning as Lebanese prime minister on 4 November during a visit to Saudi Arabia, tweeted: "To say that I am held up in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to leave the country is a lie. I am on the way to the airport..." |
| He is apparently heading to Paris, after France extended an invitation, reportedly to put an end to speculation that Mr Hariri was being held against his will. | He is apparently heading to Paris, after France extended an invitation, reportedly to put an end to speculation that Mr Hariri was being held against his will. |
| Okab Saqr, a member of parliament for Mr Hariri's Future Movement, said that after Mr Hariri's visit to France, he would have "a small Arab tour" before travelling to Beirut. | Okab Saqr, a member of parliament for Mr Hariri's Future Movement, said that after Mr Hariri's visit to France, he would have "a small Arab tour" before travelling to Beirut. |
| Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Sweden, said Mr Hariri "intends to return to his country in the coming days, weeks". | Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Sweden, said Mr Hariri "intends to return to his country in the coming days, weeks". |
| Mr Hariri's decision to resign was ostensibly triggered by fears of assassination - the fate which befell his father, the much more popular prime minister Rafic Hariri, in 2005 - and a protest against Hezbollah's growing power both at home and over the border, where it is fighting in Syria’s civil war. | |
| Many observers, however, believe Riyadh had grown impatient with the prime minister’s inability to contain Hezbollah, and seeks to derail the coalition government. | |