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 Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will visit Damascus on Friday and meet with top officials in the new Syrian administration, a Syrian official said on Thursday. Bin Farhan was last in Damascus in April 2023 to meet former President Bashar al-Assad,

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.

Saudi Arabia will continue supporting Lebanon and is optimistic about the country's future after a ceasefire brought an end to a war between Israel and the militant Iran-aligned Hezbollah group, the kingdom's foreign minister said from Beirut.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Beirut on Thursday, becoming the most senior official from the kingdom to visit Lebanon in 15 years. Prince Faisal's arrival comes days after he expressed optimism about the political changes in Lebanon.