Wehbe Apologizes for 'Mistake', Says Didn't Mean to Insult Any Arab State

Caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe on Tuesday apologized over remarks that he voiced Monday which infuriated Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries.

In a statement, Wehbe said his “inappropriate words” were voiced as he was irritated and rejecting “unacceptable insults addressed to the President” during a TV talk show.

Apologizing over the statements, the minister said he did not mean to “insult any brotherly Arab state or people.”

“I have not ceased my efforts to improve and develop the relations with these countries for the sake of the common welfare and interest and always on the bases of mutual respect,” Wehbe added, noting that any person makes “mistakes.”

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia summoned Lebanon's ambassador to the kingdom to protest the "insulting" remarks by Wehbe, who appeared to blame Gulf states for the rise of the Islamic State group.

Wehbe made the comment during a verbal duel with a Saudi guest on the talk show, who blamed President Michel Aoun for "handing over" his country to Hizbullah and called Aoun and his son-in-law MP Jebran Bassil a “funny duo.”

In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry strongly condemned Wehbe's "insulting" remarks, saying they were "inconsistent with the simplest diplomatic norms."