Saad al-Hariri, the prime minister of Lebanon, resigned on Saturday citing death threats against him. He also blamed Iran and Syria for fomenting unrest in the Arab world.

A Saudi Arabian news agency reported that Hariri had been informed of a threat against his life by western intelligence. There was also a report in another new outlet that Hariri had escaped an assassination attempt in Beirut earlier last week.

Hariri's resignation statement was made from an undisclosed location, probably in Saudi Arabia. Hariri is personal friends with Crown Prince Salman and has had close business ties to Saudi Arabia for many years. 

Hariri held the position of prime minister, a post reserved for Sunni Muslims in Lebanon's sectarian political structure, for less than a year. He assumed office in December, 2016 following two years of political deadlock engineered by Hezb'allah, the Lebanese terror group and proxy for Iran, who represent most Shia Muslims in the government. Now that Hariri has resigned, Hezb'allah's political allies, pro-Syrian Christians, led by the country's President Michel Auon, will join with the terrorists to make the takeover of Lebanon complete.

In effect, Iran is now in the driver's seat in Lebanon.

Reuters:

Western intelligence agencies warned former Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri of an assassination plot against him, the Saudi-owned pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

It cited unnamed sources close to Hariri.

However, al-Mayadin, a Lebanese news channel, reported that Major General Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon’s General Security, told it that he was not aware of any information about an assassination plot against political figures in Lebanon.

Asharq al-Awsat reported that the sources “revealed that he had received Western warnings of an assassination attempt that was prepared against him”. It did not give further details of the alleged plot.

Hariri's father the former prime minister Rafiq, was murdered in 2005 by Hezb'allah agents under orders from the highest levels of the Syrian government. This was the conclusion reached by a special UN commission set up to investigate the assassination that was made public when a draft of the report was released "inadvertently." The final version did not mention the names of Syrian officials involved in the murder, but the draft fingered the brother and brother in law of President Bashar Assad.

Hariri said in his resignation statement that the climate in Lebanon resembled that before his father's assassination.

Hariri was in the cross hairs because Iran wants a friendly, docile Lebanon amendable to carrying out Tehran's wishes. For Syria, Lebanon is a cash cow as many pro-Syrian politicians and businessmen carry on a lucrative kick back operation, enriching the Syrian elites while milking Lebanon dry.

Tiny Lebanon is in one of the most strategic positions in the Middle East, bordering Israel, Syria and Jordan. Obviously, Iranian control of Lebanon worries Israel, given that the country has now become a de facto province of Syria and Hezb'allah controls the Lebanese military and security services. It's probably only a matter of time before Hezb'allah looks to start another war with Israel. And this time, they will be allied with an Iran unencumbered by sanctions and an emboldened Syria, fresh off a victory in the civil war. 

The entire region will feel the earthquake caused by Hariri's resignation and the ascendancy of Iran in Lebanon.