BEIRUT: The Lebanese president accused Saudi Arabia on Wednesday of detaining his country’s prime minister, an escalation in the crisis that followed Saad Hariri’s surprise resignation from the kingdom almost two weeks ago.

Also Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying the kingdom allegedly pressured Hariri to resign in a “rare” form of intervention in another country’s affairs.

Rouhani also accused Saudi Arabia, without naming the kingdom, of “begging” Israel to bomb Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group, has made the same accusation.

Hezbollah is a Hariri rival at home and is at the centre of Riyadh’s campaign against Beirut. Saudi Arabia is a backer of Hariri, a Sunni who is a dual Saudi-Lebanese national.

“Who are you to do this, relying on what power? How far do you think (your) can money go?” Rouhani said during a Cabinet meeting in questions directed at the kingdom.

The comments from Lebanon and Iran maybe an attempt to get Hariri to return to the country but they also reflect an escalation that can further deepen the crisis.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on his official Twitter account that nothing justifies Hariri’s failure to return home, 12 days after he resigned from Riyadh.

“We consider him detained, arrested” in violation of international laws, Aoun said. It was the first time Aoun described Hariri as a detainee. He had previously only questioned the “mysterious” circumstances under which Hariri resigned.

Many believe Hariri’s decision was dictated by the kingdom amid its intensifying feud with Iran over influence in the region. Iran supports Hariri’s main rival in Lebanon, the Shia militant group Hezbollah, which is also a partner in Hariri’s unity government.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017