Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar vowed on Tuesday to pursue an investigation into a shipment of Hezbollah explosives to the end. He stated that the probe was expanding as he pressed for the case to be referred to the Judicial Council on national security grounds.
There are no limits to the investigation, Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday. He insisted that political pressure would not interfere with the work of the judiciary, and that the scale of the case and the dangers posed by the explosives justified referring it to the Judicial Council, which handles cases involving state security.
He expressed full confidence in Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj and Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem. The investigation is continuing and expanding, Nassar said, citing commitments by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the Justice Ministry to ensure it proceeds without limits or political interference.
This is fundamental to us, Nassar said, adding that they consider the matter a violation of national security. Nassar insisted the proposed referral rested on legal, rather than political, grounds. He raised the issue at the previous cabinet meeting at the Grand Serail, winning support from ministers affiliated with the Lebanese Forces.
He subsequently filed a request with the cabinet’s General Secretariat to place the referral on the agenda of Thursday’s meeting at the presidential palace, chaired by Aoun. The move would establish two parallel tracks involving the judicial investigation and a separate judicial-administrative process requiring cabinet approval. If approved, the military judiciary would relinquish jurisdiction and the case would automatically pass to the Judicial Council. Nassar said the constitution governed cabinet deliberations and that the referral would not obstruct the investigation.
Nassar warned that the shipment posed serious risks due to the dangers of transporting and storing large quantities of explosives, alongside uncertainty over their intended use. Moving such quantities threatened transit areas and destinations, while storing them in a populated area endangered residents, he said. He raised concerns that the explosives could be linked to a broader operation, noting suspicions about whether they were intended for assassinations or bombings inside the country.
Investigators had yet to establish their intended purpose, he said. A third possibility was their use in military operations, he added, citing Hezbollah’s statements that the explosives were intended for fighting Israel. Nassar said the cabinet has been clear in its decisions prohibiting military and armed activities outside the framework of the state.
Figures close to Hezbollah have attacked the proposed referral, but Nassar rejected political confrontation. He dismissed concerns that transferring the case could water down the investigation, and pledged to protect judges from political interference or pressure.
