Updated November 17, 2017 00:13:36

Photo: Saad Hariri has not returned to Lebanon since his resignation. (AP: Hassan Ammar, file photo)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is expected to leave Saudi Arabia for France within 48 hours, before flying home to Beirut to officially submit his resignation, a source close to Mr Hariri says.

Mr al-Hariri announced his shock resignation in a televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia on November 4, citing meddling in the region's affairs by Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah.

He has not returned to Lebanon since, and the Lebanese President Michel Aoun has refused to accept his resignation before he returns. Mr Hariri said on Wednesday he would return soon.

Mr Aoun, in his strongest statements yet about the crisis, accused Saudi Arabia of "detaining" Mr Hariri, saying there was no reason for the Prime Minister not to return to Lebanon.

France, Lebanon's onetime colonial ruler, has been trying to mediate in the crisis.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron invited Mr Hariri and his family to France, apparently as a way to put an end to allegations that the Prime Minister is being held against his will.

The resignation of the Saudi-backed Mr Hariri stunned Lebanon, throwing its Government into turmoil.

Mr Aoun tweeted on Thursday that he hoped the country's political crisis was over following Mr Hariri's acceptance of the French invitation.

"I await the return of PM Hariri to Beirut so we can decide on the situation of the Government — if he wants to resign or rescind his resignation," Mr Aoun said, according to presidential sources.

Mr Aoun has previously said he would not accept Mr Hariri's resignation until he returns to Beirut to tender it and explain his reasons.

Photo: Lebanon's President Michel Aoun raised concerns over how much freedom Saad Hariri had to leave Saudi Arabia. (AP: Hussein Malla, file)

Lebanon pushed to the centre of Saudi Arabia-Iran rivalry

Mr Hariri's resignation pushed Lebanon to the centre of an intensifying regional rivalry between Shi'ite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia.

Lebanese Presidential sources quoted Mr Aoun on Thursday as saying Lebanon remained committed to its policy of "disassociation, especially among Arab states".

The disassociation policy is generally known in Lebanon to mean staying out of regional conflicts. In his interview on Sunday, Mr Hariri repeatedly called for disassociation to be respected.

There's a long-running conflict behind Saudi Arabia's decision to pull its citizens out of Lebanon but analysts say what's happening now is "unprecedented".

Mr Macron said in a statement on Wednesday that he had invited Mr Hariri to France after speaking to him and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The invitation is to visit for a few days and is not an offer of political exile, Mr Macron said, speaking in Germany.

Mr Hariri is expected to go to France with his family, the source close to the Lebanese Prime Minister said.

He travelled to Riyadh on November 3 before abruptly resigning a day later, and has remained in the Saudi capital since then.

Top Lebanese officials and senior politicians close to Mr Hariri have said he was forced to quit.

Mr Hariri and Saudi Arabia have both denied he is being held in Riyadh or was coerced to resign.

Reuters/AP

Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, lebanon, france, saudi-arabia

First posted November 16, 2017 23:01:36