BEIRUT: Lebanese lawmakers designated Prime Minister Saad Hariri for a third term in office Thursday, less than three weeks after elections that saw his movement lose ground in parliament.
"The head of state summoned prime minister Saad Hariri and tasked him with forming a government," said a statement posted on social media by the office of President Michel Aoun.
The presidency made the announcement after Hariri, 48, was endorsed by a vast majority of members of parliament after only a few hours of consultations.
Hariri said in a statement that he would seek to form a new government as quickly as possible in order to implement some of the reforms pledged earlier this year to secure key foreign aid.
"I thank all my fellow deputies who entrusted me with forming a new government, hoping we will do so as soon as possible for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese," he said.
Speaking to reporters before leaving the presidential palace, he reaffirmed his policy of "disassociation", a term used to describe efforts to keep Lebanon out of the region's conflicts.
"The new government will need to consolidate its policy of disassociation and continue efforts to face the refugee crisis," he said.
The small Middle eastern country has seen its population increase by a third with the influx of refugees pouring in from neighbouring Syria, which has been torn by war for seven years.
A conference dubbed CEDRE and held in Paris in April raised $11 billion in low-interest loans and aid for Lebanon, whose public debt stands at 150 percent of gross domestic product, the world's third highest rate behind Japan and Greece.
Hariri's Future movement lost a third of its seats on May 6, when Lebanon held its first legislative election in nine years and voters reinforced the weight of the Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies.
The Iran-backed party, the only group to have kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and its allies control more than half of parliament's 128 seats.
That is expected to protect the US terror-listed organisation from attempts to push for its disarmament, a cause long championed by Hariri and his Sunni-dominated bloc.
While Hezbollah had been content in recent years exercising its influence on the government via second-tier portfolios and its political allies, observers predict it will this time ask for bigger ministries.
The movement's leader Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to give a televised speech on Friday.
Lebanon's unique sectarian power-sharing arrangements provide for parliament to be split equally between Christians and Muslims and stipulate that the president be Maronite, the premier Sunni and the speaker Shiite.
Speaker Nabih Berri, who has held the position since 1992, was given a new term on Wednesday.
Hariri has been prime minister since December 2016 and served his first term from 2009 to 2011. His father, who was assassinated in 2005, also served two terms between 1992 and 2004.
Lebanon President Michel Aoun has designated Saad Al-Hariri as PM: Presidency Office
Lebanon President Michel Aoun has designated Saad Al-Hariri as PM: Presidency Office
Saudi Arabia scales AI in national education
- Kingdom accelerates plan to lead the region in digital skills
RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia accelerates toward the goals of Vision 2030, the Kingdom is positioning technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as a cornerstone of its education reform strategy.
By embedding AI across the national curriculum, policymakers aim to equip more than 6 million general education students with future-ready skills by 2025.
To achieve this, government bodies and private sector leaders have aligned efforts to integrate AI education into classrooms across the country.
A collaborative initiative launched in 2025 brings together the National Centre for Curriculum, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. The initiative is designed not only to teach students how to use AI tools, but to enable them to learn through AI-driven platforms. Teachers, too, are central to the transformation.
At the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building organized by SDAIA, participating entities outlined their progress and future ambitions, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s drive to become a global hub for AI-enabled education.
Offering a public sector perspective, Bedour Alrayes, deputy CEO of the Human Capability Development Program under Vision 2030, highlighted the importance of embedding AI into learning pathways early and systematically. “It’s not about how they learn AI, it’s about how they practice it,” Alrayes told Arab News.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Saudi Arabia plans to equip over 6 million students with AI skills nationwide.
• IBM has trained 500,000 in AI — targeting 1 million Saudis by 2030.
AI tools are being used not only to teach students but to help teachers design lessons.
She described a structured model that begins in elementary school. “When we talk about K-12, we start by enabling digital curriculum from the fourth grade, also AI curriculum in schools. We enable teachers to know how to use AI tools, and we have gamification tools where they use AI, including after-school activities and customized learning journeys,” she said.
Alrayes stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between technological advancement and human engagement, describing the approach as a “human-centric partnership” between people and AI. The strategy spans the full education continuum — from K-12 to university — and extends into lifelong learning and professional development, ensuring Saudi citizens remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global economy.
SDAIA has further strengthened this ecosystem with the introduction of the Saudi Academic Framework for AI Qualifications, a national benchmark guiding the development, evaluation and accreditation of AI programs in higher education. The framework has drawn interest from international technology firms eager to contribute to the Kingdom’s transformation.
Justina Nixon-Saintil, IBM’s vice president and chief impact officer, pointed to growing demand for AI capabilities in the local market.
“We launched our AI skilling programs just a few years ago, and as of last year we had already skilled 500,000 people,” she told Arab News.
“What I love is that there’s such demand here. People are eager to learn, eager to grow and eager to take advantage of AI skills. It’s also because it’s being led by the government, corporations and universities; everyone is aligned with Vision 2030 and they want to make sure their citizens are ready to take advantage of those opportunities.”
IBM collaborates with leading institutions including King Saud University and Princess Nourah University, delivering AI education and certification programs to faculty and students alike.
Nixon-Saintil underscored the necessity of close coordination between industry and academia.
“We do not implement any programs without input from the private sector. When we look at the training pathways and hands-on projects, we partner with the private sector to understand what skills they’re looking for and how jobs are evolving, because they are changing very quickly,” she said.
Reflecting the scale of ambition, she revealed IBM’s goal of equipping 1 million Saudis with AI skills by 2030.
Private sector innovators are also contributing to classroom transformation. Alex West, founder and CEO of Manifest XR, described how the company’s AI-powered tools are helping educators create dynamic learning content.
“The AI tools that we provide can produce content for teachers based on simple text prompts. They can upload documentation and create videos, assessments, quizzes and an entire course for students to then learn from. We provide structured training programs around how you can safely introduce AI technology, and we provide certificates for teachers,” he said.
West emphasized the urgency of narrowing the gap between workforce demands and the pace of educational adaptation.
“I think educators, if they want to stay ahead and remain competitive, should be introducing this technology so that their students can be prepared for industry work placements and the 2030 vision. In the next few years, things are going to look even more different. The Kingdom wants this technology everywhere and wants to improve the quality of learning. We allow this to scale not only for high-end international schools, but this can be used in any schools across the country, even in resource-deprived areas.”
Anees Ahmad, regional manager at Spectrum Networks, echoed that commitment to nationwide transformation.
“As part of Vision 2030 of the Kingdom, we are here to cater to all government, semi-government and enterprise customers in fulfilling the requirements of the transformation,” he told Arab News.
