Saudi Arabia’s envoy to Lebanon, Yazid bin Farhan, has arrived in Beirut to lead a Saudi delegation, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.

The Saudi officials will discuss resuming Lebanese exports to the kingdom and trade ties between the two countries, a political source told The National.

The source said it was unclear whether the delegation planned to study obstacles to lifting the ban or whether a formal decision on the resumption of exports would be announced.

Saudi Arabia banned the import of Lebanese agricultural produce in April 2021 after the discovery of millions of Captagon pills hidden in a shipment of pomegranates.

The ban was expanded to include all imports from Lebanon later that year amid a diplomatic rift caused by a Lebanese minister's remarks about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.

The ban dealt a heavy blow to Lebanon’s economy, which relies heavily on the Saudi market, costing it millions of dollars at a time when it was going through one of the worst economic crises in the modern world.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states were major supporters of Lebanon but became frustrated by the growing influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah over the country.

Explainer: Tanween Design Programme Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib. The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.