Prime minister says he will return to his country soon

BEIRUT » Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Sunday he will return to his country “within days” amid a political crisis that erupted when he announced his sudden resignation on Nov. 4 in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview shown on Future TV, Hariri said he had resigned to protect Lebanon from imminent danger, although he didn’t specify who was threatening the country. He said he will return to submit his resignation and seek a settlement with his rivals in the coalition government, the militant group Hezbollah.

But Hariri said withdrawing his resignation would be conditional on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah committing to remaining neutral on regional conflicts. Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to neighboring Syria to support the forces of Syria’s President Bashar Assad.

Hariri looked tired and sad in the interview from Saudi Arabia on his Future TV channel that lasted more than an hour.