PM Hariri returns to Lebanon

Saad Hariri returned to Lebanon on Tuesday night for the first time since he resigned as the country's prime minister earlier this month in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia, reports CNN.

Hariri was greeted by members of the security forces as he disembarked from a jet at Beirut airport, live footage of his arrival showed, Reuters reported. Live TV showed Hariri visiting the grave of his father after his arrival in Beirut, then traveling to his residence.

Hariri unexpectedly resigned on November 4 during a trip to Saudi Arabia, saying he feared his life was in danger.

The resignation sparked speculation he was being held hostage in Saudi Arabia, something Riyadh and Hariri denied.

Hariri visited Cairo and Cyprus on Tuesday before flying to Beirut. On Saturday, he arrived in France, where he announced he would "be in Beirut in the next few days" to take part in Independence Day celebrations, which are scheduled for Wednesday.

Hariri's resignation announcement plunged Lebanon into a political crisis, stoking fears of conflict between the Saudi-backed faction of the country's government and Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed Shia militant group whose political wing is the most powerful bloc in Lebanon's fractured coalition government.