Hariri, who had kept a relatively low profile since NTV began challenging him and governments backing his economic reform program nearly five months ago, on Friday instructed the foreign and information ministers, Jean Obeid and Michel Samaha, to examine the "legal measures" that ought to be taken against the station and to make their proposals to the Cabinet.

In an official memorandum to the two ministers, Hariri cited letters the foreign minister had received from the Lebanese embassy in Riyadh, relaying official Saudi dismay with political programming on NTV critical of the of the kingdom. He also referred to letters from the Lebanese expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, expressing concern for the futures they have built there that could be jeopardized by NTV's unflattering campaign.

The issue took a turn for the worse on Wednesday, when the information minister chaired a meeting of the Higher Media Council with the top executives of TV stations, which Khayat used as a podium for an "open war" against Hariri and Saudi Arabia, and a tirade of – literally – below-the-belt insults to Samaha and Hariri, among others.

In his memorandum to Obeid and Samaha, Hariri invoked audio-visual media laws dating back to 1994 and 1996, which prohibit the slandering of government officials and programs that harm Lebanon's foreign relations, especially those with Arab countries.

Hariri stayed clear of any mention of a personal animosity Khayat is known to harbor for the prime minister, kicking the ball into the court of two ministers, who cannot be classified as his protégés.

But the NTV issue could further fuel Hariri's disputes with President Lahoud, who is likely to capitalize on his pledge of "media freedoms" and leap to Khayat's defense, even though not too long ago the regime had backed the closure of an opposition station, MTV, for violations that dealt with domestic politics and not as grave as international relations.

According to media watchers, Khayat's TV days are numbered, not because of the political tiff with Hariri, but because the reported financial support from silent Qatari partners and Libya has been unable to sustain a 400-strong staff. Still, Khayat is banking on a political victory by projecting himself as a victim of a fight against Hariri's perceived undemocratic tendencies.

Hariri flew to Paris on Friday for a private weekend, but is expected back Sunday night to tackle yet one more issue in a menu of disagreements with President Lahoud that have been crippling the executive authority's performance and also pointing to an accelerating war between supporters and opponents of another presidential mandate when this one expires next year.