Charges against 13 Hezbollah members in explosives case; Kataeb and Lebanese Forces call for Judicial Council

Government Commissioner at the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem has charged 13 Hezbollah members in the explosives seizure case, according to An-Nahar and IMLebanon. Ghada Abou Alwan, the first military investigating judge, will take over the investigations following the charges, according to IMLebanon.

Two people were arrested and questioned after they were caught transporting explosives. Authorities now want the remaining persons named in the charges arrested, according to An-Nahar. IMLebanon reported that Internal Security Forces seized a truck loaded with explosives in Dahr al-Baydar. MP Hassan Fadlallah said the truck belongs to the party and demanded its return. Hussein al-Abdallah, head of the party's liaison and coordination unit, had made the same request earlier, through calls with security and political officials.

A political source close to the Shiite duo, quoted by IMLebanon, said the charges go beyond possession of weapons and explosives. He said they include attacking the internal security of the state, undermining its authority and prestige, and violating government decisions to restrict weapons to the state. The source said the charges exempt the party itself and are limited to individuals. He said they do not accuse the individuals of belonging to terrorist groups, and he considers this reduced the risk of an explosion in the street. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat, according to IMLebanon: “This means, from our point of view, that it defused the threat of an explosion in the street, unlike what a number of the party's MPs threatened immediately after the truck loaded with explosives was seized.”

According to the same source, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri supports keeping the file under military judiciary and has not intervened to obstruct the investigation. The source cited the precedent of former minister Michel Samaha's trial before the military court on charges of transporting explosives. IMLebanon reported that Hezbollah's response to the charges has stayed within limits aimed at containing its base. MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan avoided threats and accusations against Presidents Aoun and Salam.

By contrast, the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces parties demand referring the case to the Judicial Council. It is not yet known whether the authorities will decide on this referral and halt the remaining wanted persons. According to the political source, ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces boycott cabinet sessions unless the case is referred to the Judicial Council. Presidents Aoun and Salam prefer to take their time and wait for the investigations to conclude.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the government has taken decisions to restrict military and security activity to the state and that the time has come to implement them. He called for referring the case to the Judicial Council and acting on it quickly, according to An-Nahar. Speaking at a party event, he said: “There is no present or future for Lebanon or its generations as long as Hezbollah's military and security apparatus exists.” On the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file, he said: “We are facing a problem of this size. Should it be left this way?”

In this context, Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said at the Manama Dialogue that decisions to restrict weapons to the state and ban Hezbollah's military and security activities are not merely political positions. He said restoring sovereignty requires Israeli withdrawal and implementation of Resolution 1701, according to An-Nahar. He said: “No state has the right to seek to achieve its regional ambitions through armed organizations that operate outside the authority of states and their legitimate institutions.” He added: “Foreign policy is determined in Beirut, and national security is decided by the state alone.”

In the south, An-Nahar reported that the Israeli army continued detonations in border areas and built military roads in the western and central sectors to connect its positions. Four Israeli drones exploded in four houses in Mayfadoun within less than half an hour, with no casualties. Israeli aircraft, air strikes and artillery targeted areas between Nabatieh al-Fawqa and Kfar Tebnit, and the outskirts of Hadatha and Mayfadoun. An Israeli force also advanced from Khiam toward two houses on the edge of Ibl al-Saqi. It asked those inside to remain there under the pretext of inspection, searched farms and agricultural rooms, and asked the municipality to remove the internet network from the neighbourhood.

Regionally, conflicting information surrounds a Qatari mediation between the United States and Iran ahead of the US midterm elections. Leaks describe a positive atmosphere for a new negotiating framework, while Iranian threats to expand the war were issued, some of which were attributed to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to An-Nahar.