On Sunday, the Lebanese president will embark on his first visit abroad since being elected to office.
Joseph Aoun's destination will be Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Arab world. The Lebanese president has set himself an important goal for his visit to Saudi Arabia - to convince the top brass in Riyadh to renew a $3 billion grant for the Lebanese army.
The Saudis stopped the flow of money to the Lebanese army in 2016 after Lebanon refused to condemn an attack on the Saudi consulate in Mashhad, Iran. Back then, those were still the days when Hezbollah dictated the tone in Lebanon's political system.
According to unofficial Arab reports, Saudi Arabia is not enthusiastic, to say the least, about pouring billions of dollars into Lebanon until it sees that the new government intends to carry out significant reforms, including eradicating corruption.