Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Abu Dhabi on Friday, during which he stressed the urgent need to end the brutal Israeli aggression on Lebanon, which targets civilians, as well as humanitarian and health institutions.
“There is an urgent necessity for an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in all its provisions by both parties,” Hariri said in a statement released by his media office.
The former PM also rejected any external interference in Lebanon's internal affairs or its use as a proxy battleground.
The meeting in Abu Dhabi, where Hariri has been residing after quitting political life, was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and the Russian Ambassador to the UAE, Timur Zabirov. Hariri’s advisor on Russian affairs, George Shaaban, also participated in the discussions.
According to Hariri’s media office, the meeting was meant to review the regional situation, particularly in light of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Gaza. Both sides exchanged views on a number of pressing issues and agreed to maintain communication.
This marks Hariri’s first official statement regarding the war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
Hariri, once the leader of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslims and political heir of Lebanon’s prominent Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who was assassinated in February 2005, pulled out from political life on January 24, 2022, ending a turbulent 17-year career amid Lebanon’s severe economic collapse. He did not run in the parliamentary elections in May of the same year, and neither did the candidates from his Future Movement party.
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