The Lebanese Minister of Information George Kordahi resigned on Friday. This followed a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and the GCC after a statement he had made about the war on Yemen.
The minister resigned saying that the country’s interests are more important than his.
He also added that PM Najib Mikati told him that French President Macron is visiting Saudi Arabia soon and said his resignation will allow them to speak with Saudi officials regarding Lebanon.
In the press conference, Kordahi explained that he did not resign at first because it was the logical move, as well as his national duty.
He accused the media of having arranged a campaign against him in order to force him into this resignation.
A video clip of Kordahi saying in an interview that the Yemen war was futile went viral, sparking outrage among the Arab Gulf countries.
Although the video was recorded a month before he was assigned as a minister, some Arab Gulf countries decided to take severe diplomatic and economic measures against Lebanon.
Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE pulled their ambassadors from Lebanon. The countries, except for the UAE, also expelled their Lebanese ambassadors.
The countries also told their citizens not to travel to Lebanon. Kuwait even suspended tourism visas for Lebanese people.
The reasons for these measures weren’t just Kordahi’s statements. Saudi Arabia said that it also has to do with smuggling of drugs into their countries, Hezbollah‘s control on Lebanon, and the instability in the country.
Many Lebanese politicians called for the resignation of Kordahi in order to mend the relationships with the Arab Gulf. These include Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who called for putting the national interest first.
Kordahi refused to resign, holding on firmly to his position while saying that he didn’t mean any harm in his statement.
However, as the boycotting by GCC countries kept increasing, pressure increased.