📰 4 sources 10 articles · 25 Oct 2026, 10:22 → 18 days ago

Lebanon: Explosives Shipment Crisis and Postponed Judicial Council Referral

The explosives shipment seized at Dahr al-Baydar, which Hezbollah has acknowledged owning, is at the center of a political and judicial crisis in Lebanon. The cabinet postponed deciding on referring the file to the Judicial Council, prompting Lebanese Forces ministers to withdraw in protest and Hezbollah to escalate against the authorities. Contacts are underway to contain the crisis, and Justice Minister Adel Nassar says he will re-raise the case.

📍 Where things stand: The explosives shipment file remains suspended between the postponed referral to the Judicial Council and containment contacts, with Justice Minister Adel Nassar affirming that he will re-raise the case.

⏱️ Timeline

25 Oct 2026, 10:22 Hezbollah escalated its position against the Lebanese authorities after the Tampa round of Lebanon-Israel negotiations ended without results strengthening the official position, against the backdrop of the failure to refer the explosives shipment case it acknowledged owning to the Judicial Council. MPs Ibrahim al-Mousawi and Hussein Hajj Hassan called on the state to embrace the party rather than pursue it, while a message to the party warned of a new 'assassination attempt'; judicial investigations into the shipment continue.
25 Oct 2026, 19:41 The Lebanese cabinet postponed deciding on referring the case of the explosives shipment seized at Dahr al-Baydar to the Judicial Council after Hezbollah claimed the shipment. Ministers of the Lebanese Forces party withdrew from the session in protest, while Justice Minister Adel Nassar intends to re-raise the case, amid US pressure to disarm Hezbollah, stalled Lebanon-Israel negotiations and warnings of escalation.
25 Oct 2026, 20:38 Reports said Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was expressing reproach toward Hezbollah over the explosives shipment crisis, while contacts were underway aimed at containing the crisis and addressing its repercussions.
25 Oct 2026, 21:39 Lebanon's Justice Minister revealed details of the latest cabinet session, addressing what happened regarding the referral of the explosives file and the weapons stance, in remarks reported by Lebanon ON.
26 Oct 2026, 07:17 Reports said the postponement of referring the Hezbollah-linked explosives shipment file to the Judicial Council does not mean dropping or excluding the file, suggesting the judicial path may resume later. A source told Asharq Al-Awsat this, while information from Al-Akhbar newspaper said Justice Minister Adel Nassar does not consider not raising the file in the latest session a retreat from the referral option, and told those who asked him that he will re-raise it.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Status of referral of explosives shipment file to Judicial Council

The Hezbollah-linked explosives shipment file was referred to the Judicial Council according to Lebanon ON
The Lebanese cabinet postponed deciding on referring the explosives shipment case to the Judicial Council according to i24NEWS

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

Coverage differed between focusing on Hezbollah's political escalation after the Tampa talks (Monte Carlo International), government procedure and US pressure (i24NEWS), internal contacts and the judicial path (Lebanon ON), and opinion pieces on double standards and state prestige (Lebanon Debate).

مونت كارلو الدولية It led with Hezbollah's escalation against the Lebanese authorities after the Tampa negotiations round ended without results, highlighted MPs Ibrahim al-Mousawi and Hussein Hajj Hassan calling on the state to embrace the party, noted a message warning of a new 'assassination attempt', and followed the judicial investigations into the shipment.
i24NEWS It focused on the cabinet postponing a decision on referring the shipment case to the Judicial Council, the withdrawal of Lebanese Forces ministers in protest, and Justice Minister Adel Nassar's intention to re-raise the case, in the context of US pressure to disarm Hezbollah and stalled Lebanon-Israel negotiations.
Lebanon ON Its coverage spanned reports on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's reproach toward Hezbollah, contacts to contain the crisis, the Justice Minister's remarks on the cabinet session, and cited Asharq Al-Awsat and Al-Akhbar that the postponement of referral does not mean excluding the file and that the minister will re-raise it.
Lebanon Debate It gave prominence to opinion pieces, questioning the double standards of 'sovereigntist' forces and linking the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file to the kidnapping of Ali Kayali from Mansouria attributed to Syrian and Turkish intelligence agencies; it also covered Bilal al-Hashimi's stance and treated the file as a test of the state's prestige and decisions.