Rubio to Aoun: no return of the explosives to Hezbollah – the Lebanese president asks for pressure on Israel

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Thursday, October 15, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about the Hezbollah explosives that were seized. According to a State Department official, Rubio called for those who ordered, financed and directed the shipment to be held accountable, and stressed that the return of the explosives to Hezbollah must be ruled out.

The US secretary also criticised Lebanon’s 1955 boycott law, which, according to the same official, is used for political prosecutions that discourage efforts for peace with Israel. Rubio “stressed that the law is not practical and called for direct communication between the Lebanese and Israeli armies to avoid clashes”, so as to reduce the risk of miscalculation and advance the “gradual implementation of the Trilateral Framework”.

The framework, signed in June, provides for a gradual process in which the Lebanese army restores state authority and disarms armed groups, Hezbollah among them, while Israel progressively withdraws.

What Aoun asked for

The Lebanese presidency announced that the two men reviewed the situation in Lebanon, the region and the south, “in light of the continuation of Israeli attacks on the villages and towns of the south”. “President Aoun asked Secretary Rubio to press Israel to stop these attacks, to respect the provisions of the framework agreement, to stop the land-clearing operations and to allow farmers to reach their fields without being attacked,” the statement says.

Aoun assured that “the army and the security forces are fully carrying out their duties in implementing the decisions on banning armed displays, seizing weapons and ammunition and combating smuggling” and that the judiciary is following all the files. “There will be no tolerance for the perpetrators and the laws will be applied without any favouritism,” he added. The Lebanese statement does not mention the boycott law or contacts between the armies.

The call followed the seizure of a vehicle at a checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar carrying about 250 kilos of TNT-type explosives and 250 kilos of C4 towards Beirut. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah claimed it as “ours”, saying the cargo was meant “to confront the Israeli occupation”, and demanded its return. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam promised “no leniency”. On Monday the army had seized another 200 kilos of explosives smuggled from Syria through Hermel.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the beginning of March have killed more than 4,000 people and displaced more than a million. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned that if Hezbollah joins a new Iranian attack, Israel will seize territory.