BEIRUT, 20 May, 2021 (TON): Lebanon foreign minister Charbel Wehbe stepped down on Wednesday and was swiftly replaced after his remarks he made irked Saudi Arabia.

Wehbe said in a televised debate on Monday that the Islamic State (IS) group’s rise in the region had been engineered by Gulf states, prompting Lebanese ambassadors in several countries to be summoned.

Saudi Arabia also summoned the Lebanese ambassador to protest against “insulting” remarks by Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe, who made critical comments about the Gulf states.

Lebanon’s leaders have since tried to put out the fire and the 67-year-old announced in a brief statement after meeting President Michel Aoun that he had asked “to be relieved of his duties”.

In a statement by presidency, hours later Aoun appointed defence minister Zeina Akar as Wehbe’s replacement.

The Gulf relations with Lebanon have become frostier due to the increasing influence of Shia group Hezbollah but as cash-strapped Beirut scrambles to avoid a diplomatic fallout with the wealthy Gulf state.