BEIRUT — As Lebanon secured a three-week extension of its ceasefire with Israel following a second round of ambassador-level talks hosted by the White House Thursday, a parallel diplomatic track led by Saudi Arabia has emerged: The kingdom is intensifying its contacts with Lebanese officials in what appears to be an attempt to reintegrate Lebanon into the Arab fold and reduce Iranian influence.

What happened: Saudi envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan, responsible for the Lebanese file, arrived in Beirut early Thursday ahead of the US-facilitated talks between Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh and her Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter, held in Washington later that day.

Upon his arrival in the Lebanese capital, Prince Yazid met privately with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who also heads the Shiite Amal Movement, a close ally of Hezbollah.

The Saudi envoy, who also serves as an adviser to the Saudi foreign minister, held another meeting with Berri on Thursday evening, during which the two discussed the implementation of the Taif Agreement in its entirety, according to the local LBCI channel.