Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia in first foreign trip

Lebanon's newly elected President Joseph Aoun will visit Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Lebanese Presidency said on Saturday.

The Saudi crown prince invited Mr Aoun to visit the kingdom during a phone call with the new president, the Lebanese Presidency said on X. No date was given for the visit.

Lebanese lawmakers elected Mr Aoun as head of state on Thursday, ending more than two years of deadlock resulting from deep political divisions. Lebanon needs foreign assistance to help it rebuild after the war between Israel and Hezbollah destroyed large parts of the country. The conflict killed about 4,000 people and inflicted significant damage on the Iran-backed armed group.

Saudi Arabia has been the biggest provider of financial assistance to Lebanon, with ties between the countries dating back to the 1980s. However, relations have been on shaky ground in recent years, primarily over Hezbollah's influence on Lebanese politics, with Riyadh calling for reforms to the political process.

Hezbollah was weakened by its conflict with Israel, with its leader Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders being killed and the group's infrastructure damaged. Riyadh stepped up as a strong backer of a process to steer Lebanon away from Hezbollah's grip.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed in November to a ceasefire under which Israel would withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon within 60 days. Sources told The National at the time that the terms of the deal included the election of a Lebanese president within the 60-day time frame, which expires on January 26.

The crucial discussions that led to Mr Aoun's election lasted for days this week and involved US envoy Amos Hochstein, French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and Saudi Arabia's Prince Yazid bin Mohammed.

“External forces wished for a purely Lebanese agreement but Lebanese MPs failed for two years to elect a president, which necessitated foreign intervention,” a political source told The National. “Foreign powers directly intervened through envoys. They possess various pressure tools, such as aid, sanctions and the reconstruction file. And they used them all."

The new president's first task is to appoint a prime minister. He is scheduled to begin consultations on Monday with all political groups in Parliament, as well as independent lawmakers "towards naming a head of government", his office said on Friday.

Mr Aoun has pledged to work towards naming a prime minister who would be "a partner and not an opponent" as soon as possible.

He noted the importance of choosing a prime minister who can gain the confidence of the international community and carry out urgently needed reforms to relaunch the economy.

The process of selecting a prime minister and forming a government is often drawn out, as the president must receive approval from a majority of lawmakers before he can name the head of government.