“I am a free man in Saudi Arabia, and I can leave whenever I want,” he said in an interview broadcast on the Lebanese channel Future TV. “I will return to Lebanon very soon.”

Hariri, who was prime minister between 2009 and 2011 and reappointed again last year, explained that he chose to postpone his homecoming as he was “not confident about his life and the life of his family,” and said he is currently “rebuilding the security apparatus.”

Hariri, who holds dual Saudi and Lebanese citizenship, also insisted that his host, King Salman, treats him “like a son,” rejecting allegations that Saudi Arabia was stoking the regional crisis. He reiterated almost word-for-word sentences from his November 3 resignation statement, blaming Hezbollah and Iran for creating instability in this country. He added that he wrote that statement “by his own hand.”

The politician said his intention was “to cause a positive shock,” warding off Tehran's meddling, and said he could yet rescind his resignation if Hezbollah “promised to stay neutral.”