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Saad al-Hariri resigned, using a television interview broadcast from Saudi Arabia to declare he fears an assassination plot while also criticising Iran. He accused Iran of spreading “fear and destruction” across several countries, including Lebanon. Mr Hariri said: “We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri.

SG•GETTY Hezbollah accused Saudi Arabia of forcing the Lebanese Prime Minister to quit

The resignation was a Saudi decision dictated to Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah

“I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life.” However, Iran-backed Hezbollah accused Saudi Arabia of forcing Mr Hariri to quit, after his resignation toppled a coalition government that inlaced Hezbollah, thrusting Lebanon back into the frontline of the Saudi-Iran rivalry. Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, said: “The resignation was a Saudi decision dictated to Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and was forced on him.”

He added Lebanon’s political leaders expect Mr Hariri to return on Thursday if he is allowed to travel by Saudi Arabia. Lebanese President Michel Aoun will not accept Mr Hariri’s resignation until he returns to the country to explain his actions, according to sources. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, an ally of Mr Hariri, is locked in a scrap for power across the Middle East with Shi’ite Iran, and its allies, which include Hezbollah.