DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will continue supporting Lebanon and is optimistic about the country's future after a ceasefire brought an end to a war between Israel and the militant Iran-aligned Hezbollah group, the kingdom's foreign minister said from Beirut.

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat has visited Lebanon for the first time in a decade following years of strained relations between the oil-rich kingdom and the tiny Mediterranean country.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat, on his country's first high-level visit to Beirut after years of strained ties, said Thursday that he believed crisis-hit Lebanon's new leaders could spearhead long-sought reforms.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visits Lebanon on Thursday in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh's top diplomat in 15 years, seeking a commitment to reform as the Gulf state reasserts sway in a country where Iranian influence is waning.

On Thursday, for the first time since the 2010 Saudi Arabia-Syria Summit, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will visit Beirut. This visit comes after more than five years of strained relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan became the most senior Saudi Arabian official to visit Beirut in more than a decade on Thursday, marking the kingdom’s attempt to rebuild relations with Lebanon after the country elected a new president.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister on Friday made his first visit to Syria since the ouster of former president Bashar Al Assad and held talks with the country's new leader, Ahmad Al Shara. Prince Faisal bin Farhan's visit to Damascus comes as the Syrian transitional government seeks investments to help rebuild the country after 14 years of civil

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah expressed on Thursday the Kingdom’s optimism over Lebanon’s future. Prince Faisal was in Lebanon on Thursday on an official visit, the first by a Saudi FM in 15 years.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visits Lebanon for the first time in 15 years, seeking reform commitments as the Gulf nation rebuilds influence while Iranian sway diminishes. The visit marks major political changes in Lebanon post-conflict and amidst financial turmoil.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday the kingdom was seeking to help Syria's new authorities secure the lifting of international sanctions, during his first visit to Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

During a press conference Friday with his Syrian counterpart, bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia was standing by Syria, pointing to "the importance of accelerating the lifting and freezing of all sanctions".

BEIRUT - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister visits Lebanon on Thursday in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh's top diplomat in 15 years, seeking a commitment to reform as the Gulf state reasserts ...