Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and said he will return to Lebanon to formally submit his resignation within days.

Al-Hariri also said that when he returns to Beirut he will explain his reasons for resigning to President Michel Aoun.

Al-Hariri had earlier said in an interview with Future TV on 12 November from Riyadh that he will return to Lebanon within days. “I have resigned. I am going to Lebanon very soon and I will resign in the constitutional manner,” he said.

Al-Hariri resigned during a televised speech from Riyadh on 4 November, citing alleged threats to his life as the reason for his resignation. He also accused Lebanon’s Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah of destabilising the region.

President Aoun has said he will not accept Al-Hariri’s resignation until he returns to Beirut, and has suggested that words attributed to the premier should be treated with caution.