Speaker Nabih Berri has said that a cabinet session, which is set to be held on Monday, is necessary to underline Lebanon's foreign policy, advising politicians to stop “chattering” about a Saudi decision to halt deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting the Lebanese army.

The cabinet session “is necessary to underline Lebanon's foreign policy,” which is based on the dissociation policy and on backing Arab consensus on joint Arab issues, Berri told his visitors in Ain el-Tineh.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Sunday pledged to escalate his rhetoric if the government does not take a “clear stance” regarding the latest row with Saudi Arabia over Hizbullah's policies and Lebanon's diplomatic positions.

Chatting with reporters after an extraordinary meeting for the March 14 forces at the Center House, Hariri lamented that the government's Ministerial Statement is not being “respected.”

The March 14 forces on Sunday held Hizbullah and its allies responsible for what they described as the “dangerous row” with Saudi Arabia, urging the Lebanese government to “respect the Constitution” and “take a clear and firm stance confirming Lebanon's commitment to Arab solidarity.”

“The Lebanese-Arab relations are in danger and the Lebanese are today suffering from anxiety and very dangerous circumstances,” said a March 14 statement issued after an extraordinary meeting at the Center House.

A top Hizbullah official stressed Sunday that Saudi Arabia cannot “change the identity of the Lebanese army” or “buy the will and dignity of the Lebanese,” three days after Riyadh said it was halting $3 billion in military aid to Lebanon over "hostile" diplomatic positions it said were inspired by Hizbullah.

“Nowadays, Saudi Arabia's arms are in the hands of the takfiri gangs in Syria and these weapons have started to pose a real threat to Lebanon's stability,” said Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, the deputy head of Hizbullah's Executive Council.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday saluted Ashraf Rifi over his resignation from his justice minster post, noting that “someone had to take a stance” in light of the latest row with Saudi Arabia and the developments in Michel Samaha's case.

“I salute justice minister Ashraf Rifi on his stance, seeing as without any political calculations, someone had to take a stance, especially after the deterioration in the relation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the issue of Michel Samaha's trial,” Geagea told MTV in a phone interview.

Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi resigned from government on Sunday in wake of the release of former Minister Michel Samaha from jail and in light of “the national crisis caused by the de facto powers.”

He said in a statement: “The actions of these forces are leading the state towards fragmentation and vacuum, including tarnishing the national identity and exposing Lebanon's sovereignty, economy, future, and international and Arab ties to grave dangers.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized on Sunday the current state of affairs in Lebanon, noting that the people feel “unprotected” because criminals are allowed to roam free.

He said during his Sunday sermon: “Criminals believes that the state is at their mercy because they enjoy political protection.”

The cabinet is scheduled to convene on Monday to address the repercussions of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt its aid grant to the Lebanese army.

The government will hold its extraordinary meeting at 10:00 am on Monday.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri stated that it is now up to the Lebanese to cooperate to return the country “to its brothers who have long stood by it,” reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in wake of the kingdom's decision to halt aid to the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces.

He told the daily: “The Lebanese should work against their country's slide to where it does not belong.”

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel was aware of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt aid to the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces since Monday, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.

He told the daily that, at the time, he had not received official confirmation of the decision, but French figures had relayed the news to him on Monday when he was visiting Cyprus.