Justice Minister Adel Nassar warned that the investigation into explosives seized in Dahr al-Baydar must not be delayed or obstructed, saying the case raises serious security concerns and underscores the need to bring all weapons under state control.

The explosives were reportedly being transported from the Bekaa Valley to Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh. Nassar said experts had determined that the material was powerful enough to destroy an entire neighborhood, making its storage in a densely populated area a potentially catastrophic crime, regardless of its intended use.

The case would be even more serious if investigators established that the explosives were intended for security operations inside Lebanon or to draw the country into further conflicts in support of other actors, he said. It also raised broader questions about Hezbollah’s entire military apparatus.

In an interview with MTV, Nassar said many Lebanese feared that regional developments could prompt Hezbollah to provide Israel with a pretext to drag Lebanon into another devastating war.

“Lebanon can no longer afford another war, and people in the south and the Dahiyeh can no longer bear the consequences of further military action or anything that gives Israel a pretext to attack,” he said.

Nassar stressed that Israel could not be absolved of responsibility for its attacks, but argued that placing all weapons under the authority of the Lebanese state was essential to protecting the country and strengthening its position in negotiations.

“No one is letting Israel off the hook for its attacks,” he said. “But weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese State. That is the only way the state can negotiate to recover its territory and guarantee the security of communities in the south and the Dahiyeh.”

As long as Hezbollah insists on retaining its weapons, he added, it weakens the State’s ability to negotiate an Israeli withdrawal, recover Lebanese territory and protect residents of the affected areas.

Nassar Seeks Judicial Council Referral

Nassar said he had proposed referring the explosives case to the Judicial Council during Monday's Cabinet meeting and would raise the matter again with the government, stressing that the move must not interfere with the ongoing investigation.

“I’ll raise the issue again at the Cabinet, but that won’t delay or obstruct the investigation already underway,” he said.

In a separate interview with Al Mashhad, Nassar said he had also proposed referring the entire file on illegal weapons to the Judicial Council.

He said those responsible in the explosives case would be pursued in accordance with the law and the findings of the investigation, whether they were members of organized groups or individuals acting on their own.

“Anyone who breaks the law will be held accountable, whether they belong to a group or are acting individually,” Nassar said. “The law must be enforced firmly to protect the state’s sovereignty and the security of its citizens against foreign interference.”

Nassar did not confirm the origin of the material or its intended destination. He said that storing the explosives in the Dahiyeh, if that was indeed what had been planned, would constitute a crime.

He also pointed to what he described as legitimate public concerns that the material might have been intended for a security operation inside Lebanon.

Nassar said the authorities had made a firm decision to expand the investigation because the safety of the Lebanese people and society was at stake.

“This is an extremely serious case, and the investigation will continue to the very end,” he said, insisting that the matter could not be delayed, downplayed or swept under the rug.

Nassar Accuses Iran of Interfering in Lebanon

Nassar also accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime of openly and blatantly interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs by financing unauthorized armed groups.

He described the alleged interference as a violation of even the most basic principles of international law and said it was unacceptable.

His remarks placed the issue of illegal weapons within a broader debate over Lebanon’s sovereignty, foreign interference and the authority of the state over armed groups.