Rubio’s call to Aoun raises stakes over Hezbollah explosives: Will Lebanon’s government act?

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

The fact that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called President Joseph Aoun to discuss explosives linked to Hezbollah that were seized at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar suggests that Washington has sent a strongly worded message.

Rubio’s call to Aoun came just hours after Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah openly declared, “The explosives belong to the resistance, and we requested their return.”

Sources familiar with the investigation told LBCI that the explosives originated in Syria, crossed the border and were handed over in the Hermel area before being transported to Baalbek. They were then supposed to be moved to Beirut’s southern suburbs, but the Internal Security Forces checkpoint intercepted them.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chose not to respond directly to Fadlallah, despite the Hezbollah lawmaker criticizing him by name and responding to his latest post.

The most serious aspect of Fadlallah’s remarks was his direct warning to anyone seeking to implement the government’s March 2 decision banning all military and security activities by Hezbollah as illegal.

The period following the March 2, 2026, decision will not be the same as before, at least for the United States. This leaves the government facing a major challenge: take action against Hezbollah’s military activities or risk losing what remains of international and domestic confidence in its ability to extend its authority across the country.