BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is set to hold talks Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior officials centering on how to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of regional turmoil, Future Movement officials said.

Hariri arrived in Washington Tuesday morning on a visit lasting several days during which he will meet a number of senior U.S. officials for talks on latest developments in Lebanon and the region, particularly developments in Syria and Yemen, according to a statement released by the former premier’s office.

The head of the Future Movement is accompanied by two political aides, former MPs Bassem Sabeh and Ghattas Khoury, and Nader Hariri, chief of Hariri’s staff.

Hariri is expected to begin his talks Wednesday by meeting Kerry, before going to Congress to confer with U.S. lawmakers, a source close to the delegation accompanying the ex-premier told The Daily Star Tuesday night.

“Hariri’s U.S. visit is primarily aimed at discussing how to protect Lebanon from what is happening in the region,” the source said.

In his talks with U.S. officials, “Hariri will underline the need to ensure the components of stability in Lebanon, as well as support for the Lebanese Army in its battle against terrorism,” the source added.

According to the source, Hariri’s talks with U.S. officials would cover latest developments in the region, starting with the war in Syria and ending with the Saudi-led military intervention against Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Future MP Atef Majdalani said Hariri’s talks in Washington would focus on “keeping the international umbrella over Lebanon in order to preserve its stability and security.”

“Hariri will also explain to U.S. officials the Arab position on regional conflicts, particularly the war in Syria and Yemen,” Majdalani told The Daily Star. He added that Hariri will also visit France at the end of his U.S. trip.

The U.S. visit is the latest of Hariri’s regional and foreign trips aimed at shielding Lebanon from the negative fallout of sectarian violence raging in Syria and Iraq, as well as the war in Yemen.

Earlier this month, Hariri held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani centering on the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.

Last month, he had talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on visits aimed at reaffirming support for moderation in the face of Islamist extremism sweeping across the region.

Hariri’s political flurry coincided with rising tensions at home between his Future Movement and Hezbollah, stoked by a bitter war of words over operation “Decisive Storm” launched by Saudi Arabia and a regional coalition of Arab countries on March 26 against Houthi rebels, who overran the capital Sanaa in September and have expanded to other parts of Yemen.

While Hariri has supported the Saudi military intervention in Yemen,Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has denounced Riyadh for spearheading the offensive and accused it of launching the war in an attempt to regain control over the impoverished Gulf country.

Despite the escalating media campaigns, senior officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah have pledged to continue the dialogue they began last December to defuse sectarian tensions.

The parliamentary Future bloc Tuesday denounced Nasrallah’s latest anti-Saudi tirade and accused the Hezbollah chief of committing “a big mistake.”

“The bloc considers Nasrallah’s latest speech against Saudi Arabia and operation Decisive Storm a big mistake that could be added to the multiple mistakes he has made against the Lebanese people and Arab states,” the bloc said in a statement after its weekly meeting.

It dismissed as “disgraceful” Nasrallah’s verbal attack against the leaders of Saudi Arabia which has “always supported Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty and stood on the side of Lebanon and its people.”

Nasrallah’s speech disregards higher Arab interests and reflects a “destructive” policy directly linked to the Iranian state’s interests, the statement said.

According to the Future bloc, neither Lebanon nor the Lebanese have anything to do with the war in Yemen and “Hezbollah has no justification for its interference in Yemen except for obeying the orders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”