BEIRUT — Eleven days after Information Minister George Kurdahi’s resignation in the wake of a diplomatic rift with Gulf monarchies caused by his comments about the Saudi-Yemeni war, Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan Monday said “the war in Yemen must end immediately.”

Here’s what we know:

    • In an interview with the Syrian TV channel Lana, Hajj Hassan, who was named a cabinet minister by the Shiite Amal and Hezbollah parties, said, “The war in Yemen must end immediately ... because no one can see hundreds of thousands of dead, homeless, starving people seeking hope, and say that the war must continue.” He continued, “Regardless of the causes and those responsible for them, and whoever wins ... this war must end.”

    • During the interview, Hasan praised Lebanon’s former information minister for his resignation, saying “Kurdahi saw that the national interest demanded his resignation … and I stand by him in what he did, which broke the wall with the Gulf.”

    • Kurdahi announced his resignation on Dec. 3, more than a month after his controversial remarks were broadcast, in a move intended to facilitate a possible resolution to the diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf countries. “I don’t accept that the people of my country should be harmed because of me. Lebanon is more important than me ... I wish that my resignation will serve its purpose and that it comes to the benefit of the Lebanese people,” Kurdahi said as he stepped down from his post in Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s cabinet.

    • One day after Kurdahi’s resignation, French President Emanuel Macron announced during a visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a Gulf tour a French-Saudi initiative that would help Lebanon in the midst of its economic crisis; however, no concrete steps related to this initiative have so far been revealed. Moreover, a Saudi ban on all Lebanese imports imposed in late October remains in place.

    • Saudi Arabia has for years objected to Hezbollah’s strong influence in Lebanon’s political affairs and its role in sending fighters to Yemen to assist the Iran-backed Houthis there.

    • There has not yet been any reaction to Hajj Hassan’s comments from Saudi Arabia or other Gulf countries.