Lebanese president meets Saudi crown prince on first trip abroad

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, on his first trip abroad since taking office, met on Monday with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi state media said.

Aoun, a former army chief seen as close to Riyadh and Washington, was elected on January 9, ending a more than two-year power vacuum following a crippling political and economic crisis.

His election was made possible by the weakening of Lebanon's Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah during a devastating war with Israel.

The official Saudi Press Agency said Aoun met with Prince Mohammed for "talks", without elaborating.

The Lebanese presidency earlier posted on X a message from Aoun, saying he was looking "forward with great hope to the talks I will hold with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this evening".

Aoun said he hoped the discussions would "pave the way for a later visit in which agreements strengthening cooperation between the two brotherly countries will be signed", according to a statement from the presidency.

Ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia had been strained for years. In 2016, Riyadh halted $3 billion (AED 11 billion) in military aid to the Lebanese army, citing the political influence of Hezbollah.

Aoun told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that he would "seek, if possible, to reactivate military aid".

The president added that he chose Saudi Arabia as his first destination because of its "historic links" with Lebanon and its role as a regional and global player.

"I hope and expect that Saudi Arabia will help us reset relations in the interest of both countries and overcome recent obstacles," he said.

He voiced hopes of "building normal economic ties", saying Lebanon could align with "Vision 2030" Riyadh's initiative to diversify its economy beyond oil.

"This would allow the Saudis to return to their second home, Lebanon, while Lebanese look forward to reconnecting with Saudi Arabia," he said.

Aoun pledged upon taking office to usher in a new era in which the Lebanese state would have a "monopoly on weapons".

Hezbollah, the only faction to retain its arms after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, has remained a dominant force in the country.

Aoun has promised a "policy of positive neutrality" and "the best possible relations with brotherly Arab countries".

He has also received an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to participate in an urgent Arab summit on Gaza to be held in Cairo on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese presidency.