A senior delegation from the United Arab Emirates visited Lebanon on Monday to facilitate the reopening of the UAE embassy in Beirut, which has been closed for over three years, according to the state news agency WAM.

The UAE had previously withdrawn its diplomatic staff and shuttered the embassy in October 2021, following comments from Lebanon’s then-information minister that criticized the Saudi-led coalition’s actions in Yemen, which aligned the UAE with Saudi Arabia.

At that time, the Saudi foreign minister highlighted Hezbollah’s significant influence in Lebanese politics. Since then, many of the group’s senior leaders have been killed, and numerous strongholds across Lebanon have been devastated due to a prolonged conflict with Israel.

The delegation’s arrival on Sunday coincided with an agreement between UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to take steps toward reopening the embassy.

The UAE foreign ministry stated that the reopening signifies the UAE’s commitment to fostering stability and development in Lebanon, as well as its ongoing support for the Lebanese people in various sectors. Lebanese deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab mentioned in a televised address that countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are willing to restore diplomatic relations.

The UAE is set to reopen its embassy shortly, which Bou Saab indicated brings optimism for a fresh start in Lebanon. Last week, Lebanon consented to extradite Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi, the son of the late Muslim cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi, to the UAE. An Egyptian-Turk, he was detained in Lebanon after making disparaging comments about the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt in an online video, as reported by his lawyer and Amnesty International.