Lebanese Environment Minister Mohammad Mashnouk said Tuesday’s action taken by protesters at his Ministry was "directed towards the wrong person," as he said he would not quit.

Lebanese Environment Minister Mohammad Mashnouk said Tuesday’s action taken by protesters at his Ministry was "directed towards the wrong person," as he insisted he would not quit.

“We are part of this government (...) we did what our conscience told us to do,” Mashnouk told reporters following his meeting with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail on Wednesday. 

Earlier on Tuesday night, riot police cleared “You Stink” campaign protesters from the Environment Ministry in Downtown Beirut after nearly nine hours of blockade by activists who stormed the building and staged a sit-in calling for the minister’s resignation over the protracted trash crisis.

“We hope for a happy ending regarding the trash dossier since environment belongs to the nation and not to the political forces that are still standing in the face of the sought solutions,” the Lebanese minister added.

Meanwhile, Mashnouk stressed that his resignation will not solve the current trash crisis, in remarks published by the Lebanese daily as-Safir.

“They (protesters) targeted me thinking I’m the weakest link (in the government),”Mashnouk said, adding: “they are wrong.”

The idea of “resignation never came to my mind, not even for a moment, because my resignation would not solve the trash crisis,” Mashnouk said.