“Lebanon and a number of Arab countries ... are suffering politically, economically and in terms of security from blatant Iranian interference in the Arab world,” Hariri said, adding: This is “not acceptable anymore.”  Hariri, who acts as a caretaker until a new government is formed, says Lebanon will not be an Iranian protectorate. Hariri also warned Iran was “gradually taking Arab societies hostage.”

That sparked a quick response by Hezbollah, which is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Hariri’s ally, the United States.

“Hariri’s position ... is in line with the American plot to divide the people of this region and stir unrest,” read a statement released by the militant group’s media relations department.

“His statement is an open attempt to mask US interference in the region and the confiscation of the will of the people, who seek freedom and the end of American hegemony,” it added.

Hariri and Hezbollah have been locked in a standoff for months over the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the 2005 murder of Hariri’s father, Rafik Hariri.

The Netherlands-based court is expected to be readying to implicate Hezbollah in the murder, an accusation the militant movement has warned against.

Sunni billionaire Najib Mikati was appointed on Jan. 25 to form a new government with Hezbollah’s blessing, but the Cabinet has yet to see the light of day.

“The situation is very tense in the region and everyone is waiting to see how the political landscape is going to change,” said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut.

Hezbollah and its allies toppled Hariri’s government when their ministers walked out. They then gained enough support in Parliament to name their own candidate as prime minister-designate.