Saad Hariri

Lebanon believes Saad al-Hariri is held in Saudi Arabia, from where he resigned as prime minister, two top Lebanese government officials said, amid a deepening crisis pushing Lebanon onto the frontlines of a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Lebanese Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuk said today that he believes Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned in the weekend while being Saudi Arabia, will return to Lebanon in a few days, Reuters reported.

Lebanon's president asked Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri to form a new government on Nov. 3, after he won the support of a majority of MPs including the influential parliament speaker who said he would cooperate with efforts to set up the new cabinet. 

The Lebanese parliament elected former army commander Michel Aoun as president on Oct. 31, ending a 29-month presidential vacuum as part of a political deal that is expected to make Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri prime minister.