Lebanese PM Saad Hariri holds off resignation

Lebanon's Saad Hariri on Wednesday suspended his decision to resign as prime minister at the request of President Michel Aoun to allow for dialogue, easing a major political crisis.

Hariri arrived late on Tuesday in Beirut to attend the Lebanon's Independence Day parade nearly three weeks after his resignation which plunged the country into a political crisis. 

"I presented today my resignation to President Aoun and he urged me to wait before offering it and to hold onto it for more dialogue about its reasons and political background, and I showed responsiveness," Hariri said in a televised statement.

Martin Jay reports from the Lebanese capital.

Hariri's resignation pitched Lebanon to the forefront of the regional tussle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which backs the powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Lebanese state officials and senior politicians close to Hariri say Riyadh forced him to quit and held him in the kingdom, which Saudi Arabia and Hariri have denied.

The resignation took even Hariri's aides by surprise.

TRT World's spoke to Halim Shebaya for his analysis on the latest development.

Intervention by France

Hariri's return to Lebanon followed an intervention by France.

A long-time Saudi ally, Hariri cited fear of assassination in his resignation speech, and attacked Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah for sowing strife in the Arab world.

He said all Lebanese parties must commit to keeping Lebanon out of regional conflicts, a reference to the powerful, Iran-backed group Hezbollah whose regional role is a source of deep concern in Saudi Arabia. 

He hoped his decision would open "a new gateway for a responsible dialogue."