Hezbollah explosives case continues to roil Lebanese politics as ministers boycott cabinet meeting

At least four Lebanese ministers are boycotting a cabinet meeting on Thursday in protest of the state's delay in referring Hezbollah to the Judicial Council over the Iran-backed group's attempts to traffic hundreds of kilograms of explosives into Beirut, according to statements by the officials and media reports.Hezbollah has acknowledged that the explosives were theirs, but said they were intended for use against Israel.The shipment's purpose remains under investigation amid concerns among Lebanese officials that the explosives could threaten domestic security and potentially be used in political assassinations.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the Permanent Military Court, was expected to receive on Thursday the findings of investigations conducted by the Directorate of Intelligence of the Lebanese Army, as well as the Information Branch (intelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal investigation unit of the Internal Security Forces), paving the way for charges against suspects whose involvement has been established.Investigators identified seven suspects, including the two men found in the vehicle carrying the explosives who remain in custody.

The Lebanese Forces (LF) party ministers, led by its president, Samir Geagea, announced that they would not attend Thursday's cabinet session, protesting what they described as delays in referring the case to the Judicial Council.In a statement on X/Twitter, Geagea criticized the government's handling of the case, arguing that the ministers' absence from the meeting did not mean they would stop challenging the government from within. He also criticized Hezbollah, describing it as an organization operating outside the law.Agenda set to focus on waste management, not explosives caseThe cabinet agenda was set to focus on waste management, despite calls by several ministers, including Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, Displaced Persons, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Minister Kamal Shehadeh, Energy Minister Joe Saddi, Industry Minister Joe Issa El Khoury, and Justice Minister Adel Nassar, to refer the explosives case to the Judicial Council.The cabinet had postponed a decision on the referral, pending further investigation, amid disagreements over the timing and handling of the case.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar has continued to argue that it should be referred to the Judicial Council, not the military courts, warning that it goes beyond the transportation and storage of explosives and poses a threat to national security and civil peace.Nassar told Asharq al-Aswat that the transportation and storage of the explosives endangered Lebanese lives and that Hezbollah's acknowledgment of ownership, alongside its stated intention to use the shipment on a “new support front,” was an admission that Hezbollah intended to continue placing Lebanese national security at risk.Previous reports said that the postponement of the referral had resulted from discussions among Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, President Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.