Report: Hezbollah Planned Armed Takeover Amid Beirut Cabinet Dispute

What happened

According to a report by Nidaa al-Watan cited in Naharnet, Hezbollah held a security meeting in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 21 to deliberate steps if the government moved forward with referring a sensitive explosives case related to Dahr al-Baidar to the Judicial Council. The report claims Hezbollah anticipated that such judicial measures would begin with summonses to party MPs and officials, potentially escalating to the interrogation or arrest of its Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem.

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. The alleged plan described in the report included deploying armed Hezbollah forces across key regions including Sidon, eastern and western Bekaa, and areas surrounding Beirut such as Metn and Keserwan. The purported objective was to kidnap ministers supporting the judicial referral from their residences and to resist Lebanese Army and security forces if intercepted. Sources reportedly framed this as a choice between Hezbollah’s political demise or provoking an internal war to fracture state institutions and prolong its survival.

The report says Hezbollah communicated its intentions directly to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam but bypassed Speaker Nabih Berri, who separately advised maintaining civil peace. It also notes that Salam consulted a senior official from a country supportive of Lebanon, who cautioned against allowing internal conflict given competing regional priorities such as the Iranian crisis.

Known from the source

• Naharnet is a leading Lebanese news source publishing in English.
• Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on November 3 that Hezbollah held a security meeting on October 21 in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
• The meeting reportedly discussed a scenario in response to a possible government referral of the Dahr al-Baidar explosives case to the Judicial Council.
• Unnamed sources claim Hezbollah expected summonses to party figures and considered arrest of Sheikh Naim Qassem.
• Reportedly, Hezbollah allegedly planned to deploy armed members across certain Lebanese regions and kidnap ministers supporting the judicial referral.

What remains unclear

In response, Salam and President Joseph Aoun reportedly opted to refer the case to the Military Court instead of the Judicial Council, though they still seek to investigate the arms smuggling issue tied to the explosives case. This decision led to political fallout including a boycott by the Lebanese Forces party, which criticized the government for capitulating to Hezbollah threats and called for a firm crackdown on the group.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Authenticity and reliability of the Nidaa al-Watan report and its unnamed sources. Verification of the alleged Hezbollah security meeting’s details and decisions. Confirmation of communications between Hezbollah and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Naharnet Lebanon. Open the source.