Aoun Slams Govt. Change 'Rumors', Diab Says Israel Wants Strife

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday said the government and its ministers should not “waste time” in responding to “rumors and campaigns targeting the Presidency and the government, especially those mentioning a government change or ouster.”

“Some exploited the social protests to carry out condemned acts of sabotage that we had already warned against, and today I reiterate the need for extreme caution in the future, especially that the relevant security agencies have obtained information about the foreign links of some groups of participants,” Aoun added during a Cabinet session.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab meanwhile warned that “there are black rooms fabricating and promoting lies to incite against the government and hold it responsible for the burdens of the past years.”

“The strife scheme is ongoing and I assure that the Israeli enemy wants to stir strife in Lebanon to cover up for its plan to annex the West Bank. That’s why I call for the highest levels of vigilance and caution to confront and foil this Israeli scheme,” Diab added.

Commenting on Saturday’s sectarian unrest and violent protests, the premier said “Lebanon went through a dangerous ordeal last week.”

“We overcame religious and sectarian strife schemes and I had warned of a scheme to spill blood and exploit it in politics,” Diab added.