lebanon’s leading Sunni politician Saad Hariri returned from self-imposed exile on Friday on a trip to bolster the country’s army as it battles jehadis in the latest spillover from Syria’s war.
Hariri’s visit, his first since 2011, comes after open conflict between the army and jehadis on the border with Syria killed 17 troops and left 19 kidnapped.
The former Prime Minister arrived after announcing earlier that Saudi Arabia, one of his chief allies, had pledged USD 1 billion to shore up the army and security forces against jehadis.
On Wednesday, a day after announcing the funding, Hariri said he would consult with lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam and the army and security forces on how they would be disbursed. His arrival underscored the seriousness of the clashes in the Arsal region in eastern lebanon on the Syrian border.Fighting that began there on Saturday has eased, with a truce meant to lead to the withdrawal of gunmen from several jehadi groups fighting in Syria.
But the violence is the worst in the border region since the Syrian war began in March 2011, and has raised further concerns about the effects of the conflict on lebanon.