IRNA � 2017 was a year of ups and downs for Lebanon during which the Lebanese could pass the difficult situations including the fight against terrorism and the crisis of their premier's resignation.


The 2017, Lebanon events can be divided into three phases:

1. Early 2017 was the first days of the work of new Lebanese cabinet under the premiership of Saad Hariri who was designated in late December 2016. Hariri's designation happened about two months after President Michel Aoun took office after over two years of a political gap in the country.

So, 2017 is considered a year of normalizing management of the country's affairs. Parliamentary approval of the budget bill after about a decade and also the new electoral law which was the fruit of a joint work between the Lebanese government and parliament is a sign of normalization of the country's affairs.

2. One of the most important events in Lebanon was the move to clean up the eastern areas from the Takfiri terrorist groups. Such a move, which brought a successful outcome, was the fruit of the efforts made by the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah resistance group.

It was three years that Lebanon's eastern areas near the borders with Syria had been occupied by the terrorist groups of Daesh (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra. Lack of a political will had caused a delay in the combat against these terrorist groups.

The cleaning-up measure in eastern Lebanon is recognized as the second liberation after the first happened in 2000 when the occupying forces of the Zionist regime were made exit the south of the country.

All those moves and measures established security in Lebanon, while many countries are suffering from war and unrest due to the presence of the terrorists in the region.

3. The hottest news topic for Lebanon was resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri in November.

Hariri resigned when he was in Riyadh, and many believe that he did so under the pressure of Saudi Arabia's rulers. Commenting on the unprecedented resignation, President Michel Aoun explicitly said Hariri has been arrested in Riyadh, so he refused to accept Hariri's resignation and order formation of an interim government.

Analysts believe that Saudi Arabia was after defaming Hezbollah by making accusations against this Islamic Lebanese party. Riyadh, they said at the resignation time, was to provoke the Lebanese society against Hezbollah, but the outcome was the reverse, because the request for clarifying Hariri's situation and his freedom from arrest made the Lebanese reach a consensus.

President Aoun's firm stance and the national consensus on the need to make Hariri's return led to receiving support from many states including Europeans to Lebanon. The global atmosphere put the Saudi machination in a difficult situation.

Ultimately, Hariri left Riyadh and returned home after a short period of time under the mediation of the French President Emmanuel Macron. Then, the Lebanese premier announced that he withdrew from resignation, and the country's cabinet was formed once again after a month-long critical condition.

It is believed that Lebanon drew the most outstanding political achievement in recent years after the country could overcome the resignation crisis. New Year started on Monday while Lebanon is planned to hold a parliamentary election about next four months.

Lebanon has a parliamentary system and the government is formed from inside the parliament, so the upcoming parliamentary election can make a new political arrangement in the country.