| Syrian and Saudi leaders visit Beirut to defuse tension |
Hezbollah is Syria's main ally in Lebanon, while Hariri had close links to Saudi Arabia. His son, Saad, is the current Lebanese prime minister. | Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, will accompany Saudi Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah have held talks with Lebanese leaders in Beirut in an effort to quell rising tensions in the country.
Friday's visit marks al-Assad's first trip to Lebanon since Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from the country after the killing of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, in 2005. Rumours about forthcoming indictments from the UN tribunal investigating al-Hariri's death have seen tensions rise in Lebanon, prompting fears of a return to sectarian violence in the country.
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