Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi said on Sunday that his resignation was “out of the question” in wake of the diplomatic row his offensive comments against Saudi Arabia have caused with between Beirut and the Gulf.

 

Sources from the Progressive Socialist Party told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kordahi’s resignation is in the hands of the Iran-backed Hezbollah party.

 

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts are underway to reach a solution that would be based on the minister’s resignation.

 

The government, however, will not step down, especially since the international community opposes such a move that would have a negative impact on Lebanon, they explained.

 

As Kordahi told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed television that his resignation was “out of the question”, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah and pro-Hezbollah minister Ali Hamiyeh continued to pour fuel over the fire.

 

Hamiyeh struck a defiant tone, saying Lebanon “would not succumb to blackmail”.

 

“Lebanon’s national sovereignty, independent decision-making and dignity are above all else,” he tweeted.

 

Fadlallah rejected what he described as pressure on Kordahi, whether by the government of foreign powers.

 

He said Kordahi’s resignation would be another sign of “subjugation, offense and indignity.”

 

Deputy head of the Mustaqbal Movement former MP Mustafa Alloush told Asharq Al-Awsat that he does not rule out the possibility that Hezbollah has encouraged Kordahi against resigning.

 

“Hezbollah will be more at ease as the divide between Lebanon and the Gulf widens,” he explained.

 

It is in the party’s interest for this gap to remain, he noted. The party believes that it, along with Iran, can fill this void.

 

Former MP Butros Harb stated that everyone blames the government for this crisis and they are waiting for it to make a move that would resolve.

 

“However, will Iran and its party allow that?” he wondered.

 

In a statement on Sunday, he stressed that he rejects any offense to Saudi Arabia that could in turn jeopardize the livelihoods of the Lebanese people and harm relations, which would negatively impact the higher national interest.

 

“A minister committed a grave error that led to a crisis in Lebanese-Saudi ties. Everyone knows that it is in Lebanon’s interest to resolve it. The minister’s refusal to resign or apologize to the Kingdom … has deepened the crisis,” he noted.

 

“This crisis demonstrates what we have long been saying: There can be no rise for a Lebanese state as long as Hezbollah possesses illegitimate weapons and continues to control the state’s political and national decisions,” he stressed.

 

“There can be no rise for a Lebanese state as long as its officials, starting from those at the top of political hierarchy, agree to Iran’s hegemony and allow their voices to be usurped in spite of the damage and crises that has led to,” Harb added.