Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel warned that the more than 500 kilograms of TNT and C-4 explosives seized by security forces at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint could have been used in attacks that might have triggered a wider confrontation inside Lebanon.

Commenting on the seizure of the shipment attributed to Hezbollah, Gemayel said the country could have been mourning the deaths of journalists, fellow lawmakers, ministers or even senior political leaders had security forces not intercepted the explosives.

In a video posted on social media, he called on the authorities to enforce their decisions and confiscate all explosives stockpiles to reassure the Lebanese public.

“Unless the State takes action, these explosives could be used in attacks in Keserwan or Ashrafieh. If that happens, you will be responsible for the bloodshed among our young people,” Gemayel said.

Addressing Hezbollah, he rejected accusations that his camp was pushing Lebanon toward civil war, arguing that the explosives themselves posed a threat of triggering one.

“You accuse us today of dragging the country into civil war, but these explosives are what could set it off. One explosion anywhere in Lebanon could provoke a reaction and trigger a dangerous chain of events,” he said.

Gemayel also criticized a Hezbollah lawmaker for demanding the return of the seized explosives from parliament, which he described as one of the state’s most important constitutional institutions.

“The biggest absurdity is that a Hezbollah lawmaker can stand up in parliament and demand that these explosives be returned, even though they could be used in operations that drag Lebanon into a conflict. That is the real humiliation,” he said.

Gemayel argued that the demand to recover the explosives reflected the authorities’ failure to rein in the group to which the lawmaker belongs. He urged the State to take responsibility, fulfill its commitments and implement the promises it had made, adding that he and his allies stood behind the state in doing so.

“Do not let the Lebanese people down,” he said, calling on families to remain alert to developments in their surroundings.

The incident, Gemayel added, had only strengthened his determination to push for full State authority across the country.

“This only makes us more determined, stronger and more courageous. The State must assert its authority in the face of lawmakers who make such demands, as well as the threats and explosives involved,” he said.

He concluded by calling for an end to the presence of weapons outside the control of the Lebanese State.

“Lebanon must exercise full sovereignty, and no weapons should remain outside the authority of the State. The day will come when that becomes a reality,” Gemayel said.