Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during a televised address on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Credit: Photo published on the Grand Serail's X account/@grandserail)
BEIRUT — In the first official reaction from Lebanese authorities to the seizure on Oct. 5 in Dahr al-Baidar of hundreds of kilograms of explosives destined for Hezbollah, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday that there would be “no leniency and no laxity” in handling the case. The incident reignited debate over the pro-Iranian party’s military arsenal over the weekend, which Lebanon has pledged to disarm even as it holds direct negotiations with Israel. The case has also revived fears of new attacks or planned assassinations that could destabilize the country.
“It is now public knowledge that a truck was intercepted a few days ago in Dahr al-Baidar while it was headed from the Bekaa toward the Greater Beirut area. It was carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives, including C-4, an extremely powerful material. I understand the concern felt by the Lebanese over news of this interception and the nature of the material being transported, especially since C-4 has been used in several notorious political assassinations in Lebanon’s modern history,” Salam said on X.
Promise of 'firmness'
Lebanon, particularly in the early 2000s, experienced a series of assassinations targeting political and media figures opposed to the former Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, an ally of Hezbollah. Many of these killings remain unsolved, but the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) convicted three of the four accused, all linked to Hezbollah, in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Salam also sought to reassure the public, calling on “all Lebanese to have confidence” in the state. “We will show no complacency in following up and deepening the investigation. We will identify all the perpetrators of this criminal operation as well as those who ordered it, we will reveal their plans and objectives, and we will refer them all to justice so they receive the sentences they deserve,” he said, as many have questioned the authorities’ seriousness in pursuing Hezbollah in this case.
“Also be assured that our government will not tolerate any infringement on the security, integrity and stability of the country, and it will act with the required firmness against any possession, transport, or use of weapons outside the legal framework,” the prime minister added. He also praised the security forces for intercepting the suspicious truck, seizing the explosives it was carrying and referring the drivers to the competent authorities for investigation.
Hezbollah members arrested in March were released a few days later by the military tribunal, prompting heavy criticism, particularly since the Lebanese government banned all Hezbollah “military and security operations” in early March, following a rocket attack by the group in “solidarity with Iran” that reopened the Lebanese front amid a major Israeli offensive that killed more than 4,000 people. More than 600 square kilometers of southern Lebanese territory remain occupied by Israel.
