Economics

Qatar's $500 Million Foray Into Lebanon Provokes Saudi Pushback

  • Manulife sees reassurance that Qatar is ‘buyer of last resort’
  • Saudi response is to pledge to support Lebanon ‘all the way’
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al ThaniPhotographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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Qatar threw a $500 million lifeline to Lebanon because of what it sees as its mission to be the Middle East’s emergency lender to nations in distress, according to the country’s foreign minister.

Not to be outdone, Qatar’s regional rival Saudi Arabia vowed less than a day later to support one of the world’s most indebted nations “all the way.”