Lebanonupdated 1h ago2 min read
Marco Rubio Urges Joseph Aoun Not To Return Seized Explosives To Hezbollah
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Rubio urged Lebanon president not to return explosives seized from Hezbollah. Hezbollah said the explosives belonged to the group and were for attacking Israel.
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Rubio presses Aoun
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to ensure that returning confiscated explosives to Hezbollah is “out of the question,” after Lebanese security personnel intercepted a vehicle carrying the explosives at a checkpoint in the Bekaa Valley and arrested two individuals. Rubio also called on Lebanese authorities to pursue accountability for those responsible for organizing, financing and directing the shipment, and the Lebanese president’s office said Aoun used the call to discuss the broader security situation in Lebanon and the region.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah acknowledged in the Lebanese parliament that the explosives belonged to Hezbollah, and he said Hezbollah was transporting them for operations against Israeli military forces stationed in Lebanese territory. Lebanese security forces and the US-brokered security arrangement with Israel formed the backdrop, with the arrangement providing for a gradual Israeli military withdrawal as Hezbollah is fully disarmed and the Lebanese army expected to assume security responsibility in designated “pilot zones.”
Hezbollah claims the cargo
Hezbollah Member of Parliament Hassan Fadlallah told the Lebanese parliament that “The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance” against Israel, and he said Hezbollah called for the immediate release of those arrested over the seizure. A judicial source told AFP that the explosives were seized from a vehicle carrying 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of the explosive C-4, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the state will no longer tolerate any possession of “illegal weapons”.
A State Department official said Rubio pressed Aoun not to return the explosives to Hezbollah, and the official said Rubio “underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question.” Aoun assured Rubio that the Lebanese army and security forces were fully implementing decisions to prevent armed displays, confiscate weapons and ammunition, and combat smuggling, and Aoun told Rubio, “No one will be released unless he is innocent.”
Disarmament stakes rise
The explosives seizure intensified tensions over Lebanon’s push to disarm Hezbollah, with Reuters reporting that authorities stopped the explosives-laden vehicle at a checkpoint in the eastern Bekaa region and arrested two people in the car. Reuters said the incident followed a government ban on Hezbollah’s military activities on March 2, hours after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to back up Tehran, pulling Lebanon into the regional war begun by US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
President Joseph Aoun told Rubio that the Lebanese army and security forces were fully carrying out decisions to prevent armed displays, confiscate weapons and ammunition, and combat smuggling, and the presidency said judicial authorities would pursue all cases referred to them, with no leniency for offenders. The dispute also intersected with Israel’s continued strikes in southern Lebanon, with Reuters saying Hezbollah refused to disarm as long as Israeli forces remained on Lebanese land and Israel continued carrying out strikes across southern Lebanon, while Aoun asked Rubio to pressure Israel to halt what the presidency described as attacks on southern Lebanese towns and villages.