By Mohamed Mahmoud

CAIRO

 Lebanese President Michel Aoun fell face down at the start of the annual Arab League summit on Wednesday.

Video footage showed Aoun tripping and falling at the red-carpeted podium before being helped back to his feet by King Abdullah II of Jordan.

A day earlier, Dubai ruler and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stumbled as he got off his plane in Amman.

Eighteen Arab leaders are attending the one-day summit, which opened on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Conflicts in several Arab countries are expected to figure high on the agenda, particularly those in Syria, Libya and Yemen, as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Jordan is hosting the summit after Yemen declined due to the ongoing conflict. The last summit was hosted by Mauritania.