In an address to the Middle East Forum, Schenker, who meets Hariri
regularly, said the Lebanese prime minister has become the victim of a new
Saudi policy, Middle East Newsline reported. He said Riyad has sought to reconcile with Syria amid the U.S.
refusal to confront a nuclear Iran.
"The Saudis had realized that the Obama administration was not going to
attack Iran, so they cut a deal with Syria," Schenker said. "The cost of the
hedging was essentially Hariri."
Over the last month, Saudi Arabia forced Hariri to recognize Syrian
dominance of Lebanon. Schenker, a leading Pentagon adviser under the
Bush administration, said Hariri was being pressured by Iran and Syria to
disband the United Nations-aligned tribunal that has been investigating the
assassination of his father in 2005.
"The smart thing if I was him would be to resign from the premiership,"
Schenker said on Oct. 14. "He can't do anything to help the country.
Hizbullah wants him to be prime minister so they can get him to end the
tribunal."
Schenker said Syria has been encouraged by the reconciliation policy of
President Barack Obama. He cited Obama's decision to repair Syria's Boeing
fleet, which has been used to transport weapons to Hizbullah.
"We're chasing after Syria and they're having no part of it," Schenker
said.
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