Geagea Supports Aoun and Salam as Cabinet Delays Hezbollah Explosives Case Referral

What happened

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has expressed his support for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam following the Cabinet’s decision to postpone referring the Hezbollah explosives case to the Judicial Council. Geagea made these remarks in an interview on MTV’s Sar El Waqt, emphasizing urgency in judicial action against the confiscated explosives he said threaten national security, civil peace, and the authority of the state.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. Geagea criticized the Cabinet’s rationale that investigations must conclude before the Judicial Council takes over the file, calling this claim inaccurate. The Cabinet’s deferral occurred during a session at the presidential palace on Thursday, after which Lebanese Forces ministers walked out in protest, signaling a deepening political division over handling Hezbollah-related security issues.

Geagea also called for early parliamentary elections, describing the current parliament as "largely paralyzed," yet he maintained hope despite the political challenges. His stance aligns him ‘in the same boat’ with both President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam, underlining a rare political convergence in Lebanon’s fractious landscape.

Known from the source

• The Lebanese Cabinet decided to delay referring the Hezbollah explosives case to the Judicial Council at a session on Thursday at the presidential palace.
• Lebanese Forces ministers walked out of the Cabinet session in protest following the deferral decision.
• Samir Geagea publicly supports President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam regarding the case.
• Geagea called for immediate judicial action on Hezbollah’s confiscated explosives, citing threats to national security, civil peace, and state authority.
• Geagea criticized the claim that investigations must finish before referral as inaccurate.

What remains unclear

This development is significant amid ongoing tensions involving Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon’s security and sovereignty, an issue closely monitored by the Lebanon desk due to its implications for internal stability, potential Israeli-Lebanese confrontations, and the broader regional balance. The deferral and the ministerial walkout illustrate the persistent difficulties in achieving consensus on Hezbollah’s activities and the state’s authority.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Official Cabinet statements confirming details of the deferral decision and rationale. Verification of the current stage and scope of investigations into the explosives case. Statements from Hezbollah or other political factions regarding the case and Cabinet decision.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Naharnet Lebanon. Open the source.