Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Tuesday (December 5th) that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked a political crisis, AFP reported.
"The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his resignation," al-Hariri said, reading from a cabinet statement issued after its first meeting since his return two weeks ago.
Al-Hariri announced he was stepping down on November 4th in a televised address from Saudi Arabia, prompting fears Lebanon would be catapulted into a political and economic tailspin.
In his resignation, al-Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the armed militia Hizbullah, for destabilising his country and the Middle East.
He later said he would consider coming back as premier if Hizbullah stopped intervening in regional conflicts, like Syria and Yemen.
On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet reaffirmed its official policy of "disassociation", or remaining neutral in regional conflicts.
"The Lebanese government, in all its political components, has committed to distance itself from all conflicts, wars, and internal affairs of Arab states," according to the cabinet statement read out by al-Hariri.
The policy had already been adopted by al-Hariri's cabinet, formed in 2016 after a settlement across political divides.
