Lebanese Army soldiers secure the perimeter around a building targeted by an Israeli strike, in Hazmieh, east of Beirut, on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Credit: Archive photo Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The Lebanese Army began a ‘‘reinforced’’ deployment in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Saturday morning, following an incident Friday in the Galerie Semaan area on the edge of the suburbs. Dozens of armed Hezbollah members reportedly surrounded a judicial police patrol seizing medications from warehouses, according to a source in the military institution. The armed men withdrew after the army arrived at the scene.
’’We are carrying out a larger-than-usual deployment due to the situation and the clashes that took place yesterday [Friday],’’ the source told L’Orient-Le Jour, describing the move as ‘‘routine measures aimed at keeping the security situation under control.’’ Amateur videos posted online Saturday morning showed military vehicles entering Beirut’s southern suburbs from Choueifat, just south of the capital.
Outcry from anti-Hezbollah lawmakers
While Hezbollah did not deny on Friday that members of its party-militia were involved in the incident, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussaoui said Saturday that no investigatory commission ‘‘has been issued against any Hezbollah member’’ in the case.
’’Stop your nonsense, absurdity, and false rumors … No investigatory commission has been issued against any Hezbollah member !’’ the MP wrote on X.
Earlier, reports circulating online indicated that Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Ahmad Rami Hajj had ordered an investigation to identify the armed men involved in obstructing the operation at Galerie Semaan, with a view to initiating legal proceedings against them. This information could not be independently confirmed. Judicial sources told MTV that reports of prosecutions targeting Hussein Abdallah, head of Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Committee, and his deputy, Ali Ayoub, were unfounded.
Friday’s operation at Galerie Semaan was carried out under an investigatory commission issued by Prosecutor Hajj, following a tip from Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine about medications deemed unsuitable for consumption and not meeting the required health standards for distribution.
The minister, who is affiliated with Hezbollah, issued a statement Friday night asserting that his approach was ‘‘scientific and legal, totally devoid of any political considerations.’’ He referred to medications that ‘‘did not meet the necessary conditions for their use and marketing in the Lebanese market.’’
Nassereddine called on ‘‘the media to exercise caution in the face of any allegations lacking scientific basis, regardless of their source, and to coordinate their efforts with judicial and security authorities, in the general interest and to protect the health of citizens.’’
According to the Al-Modon website, the raid reportedly followed the prosecutor’s expansion of an investigation into a case involving anti-cancer medications originating from Iran and India.
Hezbollah’s claim that the army’s raid on Friday was conducted ‘‘without observing the mechanism agreed upon between Hezbollah and the security services’’ also drew strong criticism Saturday from Beirut lawmakers opposed to the pro-Iranian group.
’’Since when must Lebanese security forces coordinate with a political party or obtain its permission to carry out their duty on Lebanese soil?’’ Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi wrote on X.
Lebanese Forces MP Ghassan Hasbani similarly asked on the platform: ‘‘Are there now areas in Lebanon where security forces can’t enter or conduct searches without prior coordination with a political party ? Does law enforcement now require advance authorization from any entity other than the competent judicial and security authorities ?’’
Protest movement MP Waddah Sadek described the incident as ‘‘a dress rehearsal for May 7 [2008, the date of Hezbollah’s show of force against the state following a controversial government decision], with hundreds of organized members blocking Beirut’s access points.’’
’’What happened yesterday was not just a simple motorcycle procession,’’ he added on X.
The Galerie Semaan incident came as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday called on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to ‘‘hold accountable all those who ordered, funded, and directed’’ the delivery to Hezbollah of half a ton of explosives seized by Lebanese authorities last week.
Hezbollah acknowledged Thursday that the shipment belonged to the group, saying it was intended for the ‘‘resistance’’ against Israel. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah subsequently called for the ‘‘immediate release of the detainees’’ and ‘‘the return of the vehicle and its contents.’’