Relationship dossier
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Longstanding political ties and Saudi support coexist with recurring disputes over Hezbollah and regional policy.
Lebanon toward Saudi Arabia
-10Lebanese governments have maintained diplomatic engagement and sought to repair relations with Saudi Arabia. In 2021, after a Lebanese minister’s comments about the Yemen war led to Saudi measures against Lebanon, the minister resigned and the government affirmed its commitment to improving relations. Lebanon’s limited ability to constrain Hezbollah has remained a source of tension.
Saudi Arabia toward Lebanon
+5Saudi Arabia helped broker the 1989 Taif Agreement and provided support to Lebanon, including a military aid package announced in 2013. In 2016, it suspended that package amid concerns about Hezbollah’s influence. In 2021, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador and restricted Lebanese imports, then returned its ambassador in 2022 after Lebanese assurances about relations and regional policy.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship combines a durable Saudi role in Lebanese political arrangements and support for Lebanon with recurring Saudi pressure over Hezbollah’s influence and Lebanon’s regional positioning. Diplomatic engagement has continued through serious disputes, but the recurring use of aid and trade measures has made the partnership uneven.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have had substantial political and economic ties, alongside recurring strain linked to Hezbollah’s influence and Lebanon’s position on regional conflicts. Saudi Arabia helped broker the 1989 Taif Agreement and has provided support to Lebanon, but it also suspended a military aid package in 2016 and imposed diplomatic and trade measures in 2021. Lebanon’s government has sought to repair relations, including through the resignation of a minister whose remarks about Yemen triggered a dispute.
Areas of tension
- Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanese politics and security policy
- Lebanon’s position on the Yemen war and other regional conflicts
- Saudi concerns about the use of Lebanon as a channel for criticism or activities affecting Gulf states
Key developments
The Taif Agreement, brokered with Saudi involvement, set the framework for ending Lebanon’s civil war and reorganizing its political system.
Saudi Arabia announced a $3 billion military aid package for the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Saudi Arabia suspended the military aid package amid concerns about Hezbollah’s influence and Lebanon’s regional alignment.
Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador and restricted imports from Lebanon following a dispute over a Lebanese minister’s remarks about Yemen; the minister later resigned.
Saudi Arabia returned its ambassador to Lebanon after Lebanese government assurances on improving relations and addressing regional concerns.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of later Lebanese commitments to limit activities affecting Saudi Arabia are unclear.
- The scope of current Saudi financial and security assistance to Lebanon is unclear.