Saudi Arabia to boost trade with Lebanon after curbing drug smuggling

(Patria) - Saudi Arabia plans to strengthen trade ties with Lebanon soon after Lebanese authorities showed "effectiveness" in curbing drug smuggling into the Kingdom in recent months, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a senior Saudi official.

Ties between Riyadh and Beirut have been strained for years due to the power of Iran-backed Hezbollah over Lebanese political and security issues, but the Kingdom sees an opening after the group was severely weakened last year by the war with Israel, Al Arabiya reports.
Easing import controls, which Saudi Arabia has banned for years, would be the first tangible sign of improvement, although Riyadh still wants Lebanon's weak central government to disarm Hezbollah – a demand that Hezbollah has so far rejected.

"We will take urgent steps to strengthen trade relations between the two nations," said the Saudi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The Lebanese government and security forces have shown effectiveness in curbing drug exports in recent months."

A delegation from Saudi Arabia will visit Lebanon soon to discuss "resolving obstacles hindering Lebanese exports to the Kingdom," the source said, without elaborating on specific measures that could be taken or sectors that could be affected.

Saudi Arabia banned all imports from Lebanon in 2021, citing drug smuggling similar to the methamphetamine Captagon, which was produced in Lebanon and Syria.
This further burdened Lebanon's crumbling economy, already devastated by the 2019 financial crisis, and agricultural exports in particular stalled in traditional Gulf Arab markets.

Western and Arab states have long claimed that the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah are behind the illegal production and trade of drugs, and huge factories have been found in government-controlled areas of Syria and the border region where Hezbollah had a strong presence after al-Assad was overthrown.

Hezbollah has denied involvement. Al-Assad's regime collapsed under an opposition offensive in December 2024.

A senior Saudi official said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Kingdom to reconsider its policy. The official said the Saudi government appreciates the initiatives taken by the two leaders in recent months.

In September, Lebanon approved a significant plan to disarm Hezbollah, starting south of the Litani River. However, implementation has been slow, partly due to logistical challenges and fears that acting too quickly could trigger civil conflict in a country with a long history of sectarian violence.

The United States has pressured the Lebanese government to move forward quickly with the plan, and Israel claims Hezbollah is trying to rearm.

Israel has continued to carry out almost daily attacks on what it calls Hezbollah targets, leaving many Lebanese feeling powerless and living in fear of the next attack.

"The new Lebanese administration's efforts to prevent the use of Lebanon as a platform for threats to the security of Arab states will bring progress in bilateral relations," said the senior Saudi official.