Ousted Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad al-Hariri, who resigned on November 3, is being held in Riyadh by Saudi authorities. Beirut intends to appeal to foreign states to secure his return, a top Lebanese government official said.

Hariri's sudden resignation, announced in Saudi Arabia, caused a serious political crisis in Lebanon and pushed the country into a regional confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This has provoked a speculation that al-Hariri, the Sunni Muslim politician, was forced to resign by the Saudis, reported Reuters.

The second source, a senior Lebanese politician who is close to Hariri, said: “When he went (to Saudi Arabia) he was asked to stay there and ordered to resign. They ordered him to read his resignation statement and he has been held under house arrest since.”

Saudi Arabia and Hariri's assistants have denied reports that he is under house arrest. But he hasn’t put out statements denying his movements are being restricted. He made a one-day flying visit to the United Arab Emirates earlier this week before returning to Saudi Arabia.

President of Lebanon Michel Aoun moves towards through diplomacy “disclosing the secrets associated with the resignation of Hariri,” Lebanese TV channel al-Manar reports.

Saudi Arabia claims that Hezbollah, which was included in Hariri's coalition government, “hijacked” Lebanon's political system.