Army deploys after Hezbollah tensions involving a depot standoff, overnight protests and an unconfirmed report
The Lebanese Army deployed in and around Dahieh on Saturday following tensions involving Hezbollah supporters.
The developments come amid friction between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah over a truck carrying around 800 kilograms that was seized at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint. Hezbollah has demanded that authorities return the explosives, arguing they were meant for defending against Israel and also asking for the release of two detained operatives.
Hezbollah supporters, some of them on motorbikes, protested overnight in Beirut and blocked a key road in connection with the tensions over the truck, media reports said.
The day hours had witnessed another incident involving Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities. That took place during a judicial raid on a warehouse containing spoiled medicines in the Gallerie Semaan neighborhood on Dahieh's edge. Criminal investigation officers and security forces executing an order from the Prosecutor General were briefly surrounded by gunmen affiliated with Hezbollah.
The tense standoff lasted until Lebanese Army reinforcements arrived, compelling the armed men to withdraw. Security forces subsequently sealed the depot with red wax to proceed with their investigation.
Following the incident, Hezbollah's media unit issued an official statement denying direct ownership of the facility while criticizing security procedures.
It explained that the standoff occurred because a security patrol carried out a raid "without following the agreed procedures between the group and security authorities."
The statement stressed that standard protocols must account for "a security-sensitive area... amid continuing Israeli threats and security risks."
The group noted that once "contacts were made with the relevant authorities and legal officials, and the circumstances were clarified," the patrol was allowed to proceed with its judicial order calmly.
Adding to the political friction, a report published Saturday in the pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar claimed that the State Prosecutor Ahmad Rami al-Hajj had summoned senior Hezbollah official Hussein al-Abdallah and his deputy Ali Ayyoub for questioning regarding the seized explosives.
However, MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi of Hezbollah firmly rebutted the allegations.
"Stop your suppositions, nonsense, and false rumors... There are no judicial writs issued against anyone from Hezbollah," Moussawi said in a post on X.
Judicial sources also told MTV that the claim that the state prosecutor had issued judicial writs against Abdallah and Ayyoub was baseless.
Source: Naharnet
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