RIYADH – Saudi Arabia is to allow the resumption of Lebanese exports to the kingdom, its official press agency reported on June 10, ending a years-long ban on the goods imposed amid concerns over the influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Saudi’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the resumption “in accordance with the positive steps taken by the Lebanese government,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
These included “rebuilding state institutions” and “cooperation shown by the Lebanese side in providing the required commitments”.
Saudi Arabia has renewed its interest in Lebanese politics after a prolonged period of keeping its distance over the influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has now been weakened by recent rounds of fighting with Israel.
The decision on exports was communicated in a June 10 call between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, according to SPA.
In a statement on X, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun welcomed the move saying it would make a “tangible contribution to reviving the national economy”.
Salam said the decision showed Saudi “confidence in Lebanon” and represented a “significant step that will support the Lebanese economy and open new horizons for Lebanese producers”.
In April 2021, the kingdom suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon, asserting shipments were being used for drug-smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.
Saudi Arabia was the top destination for Lebanese agricultural exports in 2019, taking 22.1 per cent, a Lebanese government report found in 2020.
Last week Lebanon’s president and prime minister issued calls for Tehran to stop interfering in their country’s affairs after Hezbollah rejected a conditional ceasefire with Israel.
Tehran insists Lebanon must form part of any deal to end the wider Middle East war, after Hezbollah opened a front against Israel in support of Iran.
Aoun, whose request to Prince Salman prompted the resumption of exports according to SPA, was the preferred candidate of both Riyadh and Washington before he took office in January 2025.
Aoun had pledged to usher in a new era in which the state would have a “monopoly on weapons”, in a country where Hezbollah was the only faction to retain its arms after the 1975-1990 civil war. AFP
