Jumblat Says Lebanon Will Overcome Crisis for 'Sake of Political Stability'

Progressive Socialist Party leader assured on Thursday that Lebanon will manage to find an “exceptional” solution for the lingering crisis that followed Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation “for the sake of political stability.”

“The least we can say is that the country is passing through exceptional conditions which requires exceptional solutions. I am confident that we will be able to reach them in the interest of political stability, without exception,” said Jumblat in a tweet on Thursday.

Jumblat's remarks came against the backdrop of Harir's November 4 shock resignation which he said will “put on hold pending talks.”

Hariri submitted his resignation in a televised broadcast by the Al-Arabiya news network in Riyadh, he accused Tehran of "creating a state within the state" and blasts its Lebanese ally Hizbullah.

Lebanon has been thrown into turmoil by Hariri's announcement that he was stepping down, followed by a prolonged absence.

The resignation was seen as a ratcheting up of tensions in the long-running rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and raised fears that Lebanon would be paralysed by regional tensions.

Hours after his arrival back in Beirut, Hariri met with President Michel Aoun, who had refused to accept the premier's resignation until he returned to Lebanon.

Hariri said he hoped his decision would "allow for a responsible dialogue in a serious manner... that would settle disputes."

In announcing his resignation, he had levelled harsh criticism at Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah, saying they had taken over Lebanon and were destabilizing the region.

He also said he had been forced to leave Lebanon because of threats to his safety, invoking the 2005 assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

But he left the door open to withdrawing the resignation if Hizbullah group pulled back from involvement in regional conflicts.

Speaking in the evening after meeting parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Hariri called on "everyone" to respect this "policy of distance", saying that would "improve our relations with our Arab brothers ".

Hariri accuses Hizbullah of violating Lebanon's policy of "disassociation" from regional conflicts by fighting alongside Syria's government and assisting Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said the group was open to talks, though whether any real compromise could be reached remained unclear.