policies and it is "interference in the Lebanese affairs". He also described Hezbollah a threat to the security of Lebanon, and compared the situation in Lebanon with the one before the assassination of Rafic Hariri. Iran called his resignation part of a plot by the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia to heighten Middle Eastern tensions. The secretary general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah considered this a Saudi declaration of war on Lebanon. After his 12-day stay in Saudi Arabia, Aoun informed the foreign ambassadors that he is detained there. On 21 November, Hariri returned to Beirut to participate in the Independence Day celebrations. He decided to suspend the resignation after meeting Aoun, who told him to postpone the thing until other consultations. On 5 December, he officially withdrew his resignation. Animal welfare In August 2017, Aoun signed the country's first animal protection bill into law, guaranteeing that domestic and wild animals would be legally protected from abuse. Third Hariri cabinet On 6 January 2019, a new Lebanese government was formed, headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The government took nine months to form, following extended negotiations with various political factions. It is a national unity cabinet, and was composed of 30 ministers. October 17 revolution and Lemon doubly Large-scale antigovernmental demonstrations ignited in the country from 17 October. Initially triggered in response to a rise in gas and tobacco prices as well as a new tax on messaging applications, the demonstrations quickly turned into a revolution against the stagnation of the economy, cabinet failure, unemployment, Lebanon's sectarian and hereditary political system, corruption and the government's inability to provide essential services such as water, electricity and sanitation, involving hundreds of thousands of people from every region and sect of the country. President Michel Aoun addressed the population on 24 October, stating his willingness to hold a dialogue with the protesters and find the best solution forward. He supported Hariri's reforms but did confirm a need to "review the current government" within the "state institutions", and not through protesting. Hariri supported this review through Lebanon's "constitutional mechanisms", but the protesters rejected any calls for dialogue until the government has resigned. Aoun gave a live interview at 8:30PM on 12 November, during which he rejected calls for a fully technocratic government, warned against a run on the bank further damaging the economic sector, and called for an immediate end to the protests to