All eyes on Beirut as Saad Hariri returns NEWS / MIDDLE EAST Saudi FM says Hariri free to leave 'when he pleases' OPINION Will Lebanon become Saudi's next Yemen? by Halim Shebaya Lebanon Middle East Politics SIGN UP Saad Hariri walks down the steps of a plane at Beirut's international airport [Mohamed Azakir/ Reuters] Saad Hariri has returned to Beirut, more than two weeks after announcing his shock resignation as Lebanon's prime minister from Saudi Arabia. He arrived in the capital's international airport late on Tuesday. A Sunni Muslim politician and longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, Hariri announced his resignation in a televised address on November 4, shortly after landing in Riyadh. In that speech, Hariri blamed interference in Lebanon by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah for his decision, adding that he feared an assassination attempt. Advertisement 'Two weeks of uncertainty' Hariri's resignation plunged Lebanon into uncertainty, threatening the country's fragile political stability and raising concerns over an open-ended crisis. It also stoked fears of an escalation in the regional divide between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Lebanon on the front lines. Officials in Lebanon said they will only accept Hariri's resignation if he delivers it on Lebanese soil. They also alleged that he was being held hostage by authorities in Saudi Arabia, claims Hariri has rejected. Politicians within his own Future Movement, as well his rivals, demanded he return home to formalise his resignation. On Saturday, after flying to Paris from Saudi Arabia to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, Hariri said he would return to Lebanon to take part in Independence Day celebrations. "It is there that I will make known my position on all the issues," he told reporters in the French capital. Lebanon marks its Independence Day on Wednesday.