Driving the news: Lebanese security forces intercepted the truck last week at a checkpoint on the highway linking the Bekaa Valley to Beirut.
- The truck was carrying about 780 kilograms of explosives, including TNT and C-4, Lebanese officials said.
- Two suspects were arrested for transporting the cargo.
After the arrest, Hezbollah admitted the explosives belonged to it but claimed they were intended for use against the Israeli army in southern Lebanon.
- Hezbollah’s opponents in Lebanon seized on the incident as further proof of the danger posed by the Shiite militia’s weapons and independent military activity.
- Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon have since pressed the government to release its two members and return the explosives to the militia.
Behind the scenes: The State Department official said Rubio urged Aoun to “hold accountable all those who ordered, financed and led the expedition, and stressed that returning the explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question.”
- Aoun assured Rubio that the Lebanese army and security forces are fully implementing decisions aimed at preventing armed protests, confiscating weapons and ammunition and combating smuggling, the president’s office said.
- Aoun also stressed that the judicial authorities will not show any leniency towards those responsible and will apply the laws without favoritism.
- “No one will be released unless they are innocent,” Aoun told Rubio, according to a Lebanese official.
The big picture: During the call, Rubio also discussed Lebanon’s 1955 boycott law, which prohibits contact with Israelis, the State Department official said.
- The matter arises from a complaint filed in a Lebanese court against Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States for calling his Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter, after his son was injured in a terrorist attack in the West Bank.
- Rubio told Aoun that Lebanese law “is regularly used for politicized prosecutions that deter steps toward peace with Israel.”
State of affairs: Israel continued its strikes in southern Lebanon and claims to be targeting Hezbollah targets.
- Aoun asked Rubio to pressure Israel to stop these attacks and allow farmers to access their fields without being targeted, his office said.
- After his call with Aoun, Rubio spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, although the State Department would not comment on the conversation.
What to watch: Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have slowed as Israeli elections approach.
- Implementation of the US-brokered agreement on the withdrawal of the Israeli army from pilot areas in southern Lebanon is also moving slowly.
- U.S., Lebanese and Israeli military officers are expected to meet next week at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to discuss implementation.
Gn world
