Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri returned to Beirut late Tuesday more than two weeks after announcing while in Saudi Arabia that he had resigned his post.
The shock announcement set off speculation that Hariri had been forced to step down by the Gulf kingdom and was being held there against his will. But he left Saudi Arabia for Paris on Saturday by invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, before traveling on to Beirut by way of Egypt and Cyprus.
Hariri arrived in a private jet from Cyprus on Tuesday night, after meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
Hariri was leading a coalition government with his political opponents in the militant group Hezbollah when he stunned Lebanon by announcing his resignation in a televised statement from Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4. He accused Hezbollah of holding Lebanon hostage and hinted there was a plot against his life.
