Hezbollah officially announced its ownership of the explosives truck seized by the Lebanese authorities at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint, eastern Lebanon, last week, warning the state of the consequences of continuing the measures taken against it, and demanding the release of those arrested and the return of the truck and its cargo, in a new escalatory stance towards the Lebanese authority, against the backdrop of the ongoing investigations into the case.
The party's announcement came from a member of the Hezbollah bloc of representatives, Representative Hassan Fadlallah, who held a press conference in the House of Representatives on Thursday, during which he confirmed that the truck and the materials seized inside it belonged to the party, and that they were intended for use exclusively against Israel, rejecting the accusations that linked the shipment to the possibility of preparing for assassinations inside Lebanon.
Prior to the cabinet session, Justice Minister Adel Nassar stressed that any action outside the framework of the Lebanese state is unacceptable. He stressed that investigations into the explosive shipment “will take into account all situations to determine the identity of the instigator and owner of the explosives, and there is no intention to delay them in any way.”
The Lebanese authorities had seized the truck on the Bekaa Road, loaded with about 780 kilograms of explosives, including TNT and C4, and arrested two people in connection with its transportation, while the case raised political and security concerns about the destination of the shipment and the purpose of its use.
Fadlallah said: “From the moment the car was stopped, the relevant authorities in the resistance were quick to communicate with the security and judicial agencies, and inform them that the car and its cargo belonged to the resistance,” noting that the party demanded the immediate release of those arrested, and the recovery of the car and what was inside it, “because they are capabilities used by the resistance in confronting the Israeli occupation of our land in the south.”
Fadlallah accused political and media entities of exploiting the incident to launch a campaign against the party, considering that this campaign only serves Israel, noting that the party tried to address the issue away from political and media debates in order to preserve internal calm.
Fadlallah directed a direct warning to the Lebanese authority against continuing the measures taken against the party, saying: “We warn this authority against the consequences of this persistence in its measures, and it must hasten to remedy the risks and withdraw from all these measures, because this resistance will defend the rights of its people and its capabilities to confront the Israeli enemy, and will not tolerate any targeting from any party that implements American demands.”
He considered that “the attempts of some people in authority to issue decisions that are intentionally or unintentionally consistent with Israeli and American demands and policies lead to the destruction of the country.” The party renewed its rejection of the government’s decision issued on March 2 regarding its military activities, describing it as “a decision that violates the Constitution, the Charter, and the Charter of Human Rights,” stressing that “for our people, it is an invalid decision that does not exist, and we do not recognize any of its effects on the ground.”
Fadlallah went on to accuse the authority of making the decision based on “external dictates,” saying that “the legitimacy of the resistance cannot be taken from an authority that has abandoned sovereignty, the role of the state and its responsibilities in providing protection for its people.”
In response to the concerns raised by the nature of the seized materials, Fadlallah stressed that “the resistance, with all its types of weapons, is directed exclusively against the Israeli enemy.” Fadlallah criticized Prime Minister Nawaf Salam against the backdrop of the positions related to the issue, saying: “The rush of the Prime Minister and the chorus of those with external bets and pre-packaged positions to put what happened in the context of preparing for assassinations is a sedition campaign that increases division among the Lebanese,” by raising what he described as fabricated fears and obsessions.
Salam had stressed the need to expand investigations to uncover all those involved in transporting the shipment and the parties behind it, stressing that the government would not tolerate any attempt to undermine the country’s security and stability, or transfer weapons and explosives outside the authority of the state.
Fadlallah also criticized the threat of referring the case to the Judicial Council, considering these measures to threaten the chances of internal dialogue, and said that “the dialogue that all those loyal to the country are keen on for the sake of stability is not compatible with such performance.” He warned that continuing the political and media campaign and threatening to prosecute party members carries serious internal repercussions, considering that those who rush to exploit the truck stop to revive the government’s decision “insist on disrupting the language of dialogue, convergence, and internal solutions.”
The Iraqi judiciary has set next week as a date for the trial of the leader of the “Azm Alliance” in Parliament, Muthanna Al-Samarrai, against the backdrop of corruption charges, while the name of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil, Adnan Al-Jumaili, has appeared as a witness in the case.
According to a document issued by the Iraqi judiciary, the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court set Monday, October 19, as the date for the trial of Representative Muthanna Al-Samarrai.
The judicial document, addressed to the Federal Integrity Commission, stated to the Investigation Department that the trial will be conducted against Al-Samarrai, who is detained in connection with the case, in accordance with the provisions of “Article 319” of the Penal Code. This article relates to crimes of illicit gain, bribery, or taking advantage of an employee or person charged with a public service. Directly or through an intermediary, from the works, contracts, or undertakings related to his job.
The court asked the legal representative of the Ministry of Oil, Adnan Al-Jumaili, Mustafa Adnan Al-Nuaimi, Safa Adnan Al-Nuaimi, Ghassan Al-Jumaili, and Alaa Al-Jumaili, all of whom are listed in the document as “witnesses,” with the exception of Al-Samarrai, who is listed as an “arrested accused.” The document included a request addressed to the Directorate of Military Intelligence to secure the bringing of Al-Samarrai and the people listed as “witnesses.” She indicated that they were deposited with the directorate.
The Iraqi authorities arrested Al-Samarrai last June as part of an arrest campaign called “The Commander of Dawn,” based on information and confessions related to the case of Adnan Al-Jumaili. The “Fajr Prayer” is a security and judicial campaign that began on a large scale to combat corruption in Iraq. It was launched by the Iraqi government on June 28, 2026, by order of the Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, who took power in May 2026, but its pace quickly declined due to political pressure. As reported by local reports.
Haider Al-Mulla, a leader in the “Azm Alliance,” said, “The head of the Azm Alliance, Muthanna Al-Samarrai, did not deny the accusations brought against him during the investigation regarding a mediation he made to a merchant with the former Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, which stipulated “the referral of one of the commercial contracts.”
Al-Mulla added, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that “Al-Samarrai did not later intervene in the details of referring this commercial contract or examining its financial merits, which is a common practice among politicians when transferring mediations to executive authorities.” However, Al-Mulla stressed that “(Azm Alliance) respects the decisions of the judiciary and believes in the course of justice,” noting that the evidence currently filed “does not point to accusations of wealth inflation or anything else, other than the issue of mediation.”
Regarding whether the issue will affect the participation of the “Coalition” in the current government headed by Ali Al-Zaidi, Al-Mulla said that “Azm is entitled to two ministerial portfolios, namely planning and culture.”
For his part, legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi said, “The Iraqi Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that one accused may testify against another accused, after which the court establishes independent cases for both of them. This is a context followed in investigative courts.” Al-Tamimi added in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, “The accused’s testimony is recorded and taken into account in an independent report, but his legal status as an accused remains pending before the court.”
