The Lebanese minister at the center of a dispute with Saudi Arabia said on Sunday resigning from the government "is out of the question."

Riyadh on Friday expelled Lebanon's envoy and banned all Lebanese imports, in protest at comments made by Information Minister George Kordahi critical of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. Bahrain and Kuwait followed suit while the United Arab Emirates withdrew its diplomats from Beirut.

Kordahi says he made his comments about the war in Yemen before becoming a minister. read more

Oil-rich Gulf Arab states had long channeled funds into Lebanon’s fragile economy. Alarmed by the rising influence of their arch-rival Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the government, they have become reluctant to ease its financial crisis.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rahi, the country's top Christian cleric, called on the authorities on Sunday to take a "decisive" step to end the row.