October 24, 2026
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Raji, escalated the government’s position regarding the issue of the explosives truck that was seized in the Dahr al-Baydar area, considering that the file has exceeded its security scope to turn into a major political issue affecting state security, and demanding that it be immediately referred to the Judicial Council.
This came during the Cabinet session devoted to discussing the Ministry of Justice’s request to refer the case. Minister Raji stressed that the seriousness of the incident requires a firm political stance that reflects the seriousness of the state and spreads reassurance among the Lebanese, calling for the law to be applied to everyone without exception. In this context, he wondered what measures the authorities would have taken if any other association had transported explosives and publicly declared its ownership of them, stressing that any similar case would have required dissolving the association, closing its centers, and arresting its members according to one legal standard.
Raji rejected suggestions that referring the file to the Judicial Council might hinder the progress of investigations, stressing that this step does not negatively affect the ongoing judicial procedures and does not prevent their completion.
The discussion resulted in a sharp division within the Council of Ministers over the judicial course of the file without reaching a resolution. This prompted the ministers of the “Lebanese Forces” party to withdraw in protest against the failure to take an immediate decision to refer the case to the Judicial Council. On the other hand, the Council of Ministers decided to continue studying the request in light of the progress of the investigation stages, while emphasizing the necessity of accelerating investigations “without any restriction or ceiling except that of the law.”
The details of the case go back to the arrest of two people in Dahr al-Baidar while they were transporting a shipment of explosives weighing about 500 kilograms, which, according to a judicial source quoted by Agence France-Presse, contained 250 kilograms of “TNT” and an equal amount of “C4.” In the same context, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for the seized shipment, indicating that it was intended for use against Israel, and at the same time demanding the release of those arrested.
As the issue moved from the security framework to the core of the government political debate, the issue of referring it to the Judicial Council became the focus of sharp division. There is a team that insists on the step as an inevitable necessity due to the seriousness of the incident, and another team that prefers to wait for the completion of the investigation stages before determining the final judicial path.
