Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi- who is also a member of the Democratic Gathering bloc- said during an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Sunday, that instead of being encouraged to continue his positive efforts, Prime Minister Saad Hariri was faced “with chaos.”

Aridi also commended Hariri’s statement to As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in which the latter said that some people misled the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) investigation and thereby damaged Syrian-Lebanese relations.

The minister also called for defusing political tension in Lebanon.

A war of words was sparked by former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed who warned Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” Sayyed also called on the people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in their houses.”