Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Thursday that the oil-rich kingdom stands by Lebanon, but stressed that the war-ravaged, crisis-ridden country needs to adopt necessary reforms.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will visit Damascus on Friday and meet with top officials in the new Syrian administration, a Syrian official said on Thursday.

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.

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 Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Beirut on Thursday, becoming the most senior official from the kingdom to visit Lebanon in 15 years. Prince Faisal's arrival comes days after he expressed optimism about the political changes in Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister announced plans to visit Lebanon this week, which would mark the first such trip in years amid strained relations between the two countries.Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos,