Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat has visited Lebanon for the first time in a decade following years of strained relations between the oil-rich kingdom and the tiny Mediterranean country

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday he did not see Donald Trump's new administration increasing the risk of an Israel-Iran conflict, addressing an issue the region has feared since the start of Israel's war in Gaza.

Riyadh was a major investor in Lebanon but ties between the two countries have soured for roughly the past decade over the growing influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Aoun’s election to the

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visits Lebanon on Thursday in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh's top diplomat in 15 years, seeking a commitment to reform as the Gulf state reasserts sway in a country where Iranian influence is waning.

The new president, Joseph Aoun, is a favorite of America, France, and Saudi Arabia. He even gets a cautious endorsement from Israel amid skepticism

Foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan became the most senior Saudi Arabian official to visit Beirut in more than a decade on Thursday, marking the kingdom’s attempt to rebuild relations with Lebanon after the country elected a new president.

Iran this month launched its most extensive military exercises in decades, flying thousands of drones, parading rocket launchers and ballistic missiles, and thwarting a simulated assault on a nuclear facility that involved “a multitude of air threats,” according to state television coverage.

Israeli officials have said Lebanese troops are not deploying fast enough in the areas Israeli troops are supposed to vacate.

In Lebanon, many saw the election on Thursday of Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese military, as a crucial step toward bringing stability to the country. It was also seen as a concession by Hezbollah and, some analysts said, an acknowledgment that the group was no longer in a position to paralyze the state.

Geopolitical shifts in the troubled Middle East, highlighted by the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iran's dwindling influence, present a rare opportunity for Lebanon to regain control of its own fate.