Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri issued a brief and sharp response on Tuesday to comments made by the Foreign Minister in the caretaker Lebanese government. Hariri published tweets on his Twitter account reacting to statements by Charbel Wahbi on Al-Hurra TV, deeming that the Lebanese foreign minister has added "a new achievement to the achievements of the reign in sabotaging Lebanese-Arab relations." He noted that Wahbi's statements came "as if the crises engulfing the country and the ongoing boycott are not enough to demonstrate the haphazard policies adopted towards our Arab brothers."
The Prime Minister-designate explained that "the remarks made by the Foreign Minister on Al-Hurra are entirely unrelated to diplomatic work and represent yet another instance of folly and recklessness in the foreign policies pursued by the ministers of this reign, leading to severe consequences for Lebanon and its citizens in Arab countries." He continued: "If this speech represents a certain axis in power accustomed to issuing certificates of good conduct for internal and external parties, it certainly does not reflect the views of most Lebanese who seek to correct relations with their brothers in the Gulf and reject shameful excesses that undermine the foundations of brotherhood and common interests."
Wahbi had stated during his interview with Al-Hurra that when Israel occupied Lebanese territories, "Hezbollah members mobilized to defend Lebanon's sovereignty." He also mentioned that "the party's weapon is the weapon that Hezbollah bears responsibility for, and there is no doubt that Lebanon bears this responsibility, but the decision is not that of the Lebanese state."
