BEIRUT (Reuters) - A decision by Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri to step away from Lebanese politics opens the way for Shi'ite Hezbollah to extend its already deep sway over the country, rendering it ever more a bastion of Iranian influence on the Mediterranean.
Three times prime minister, Hariri https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanons-hariris-turbulent-career-politics-2022-01-24 declared on Monday he would suspend his role https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanons-hariri-expected-announce-election-boycott-party-members-say-2022-01-24 in public life and boycott a general election in May, citing Iranian influence as one of the reasons he saw little hope of positive change.
