Lebanon’s government decision to prohibit any military or security activity by Hezbollah has yet to translate into meaningful enforcement.
Hezbollah has continued to escalate its military operations, launching rockets and drones toward Israeli territory, while signs of deteriorating security have appeared inside Lebanon, particularly among displaced residents who have fled southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Security agencies have struggled to identify those responsible for launching rockets toward Israel. However, Lebanese forces recently recorded a notable development with the arrest of around 30 individuals affiliated with or supportive of Hezbollah.
The detainees were apprehended while fleeing alongside civilians from southern areas and the southern suburbs of Beirut after being found carrying individual weapons, including assault rifles, pistols and grenades.
The arrests appeared to signal a tentative shift in how Lebanon’s security and judicial institutions handle the issue of illegal weapons. Yet the move quickly ran up against what officials say is Hezbollah’s continuing influence over judicial decisions.
Last week, the military court tried three Hezbollah members detained days earlier. The court imposed a fine of 900,000 Lebanese pounds —about $10 — on each of them for possessing unlicensed military weapons and waived any prison sentence.
The ruling diverges sharply from typical sentences in similar cases, where possession or transport of unlicensed weapons usually carries at least a one-month prison term.
Judicial sources say the unusually lenient sentence reflects pressure exerted by Hezbollah on the military court to secure the release of its detained members.
According to the sources, the group sought their release last Thursday and pushed for their trial to be held the following day. The military prosecutor’s office objected, resulting in the hearing being postponed until Monday.
The verdict also drew criticism from the government commissioner to the military court, Judge Claude Ghanem, who promptly appealed the ruling before the Military Court of Cassation, requesting tougher penalties.
A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the ruling was “extremely lenient and failed to account for all the legal provisions under which the suspects were charged.” The source added that the commissioner had received preliminary investigation files concerning four additional detainees and was preparing to file charges against them in the coming hours while seeking stricter sentences.
Only hours after the verdict was issued, Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar ordered that the civilian adviser to the military tribunal, Judge Abbas Jaha, be referred to the Judicial Inspection Authority for investigation.
A Justice Ministry source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the referral stemmed from “the circumstances surrounding the trial and his failure to object to this suspicious ruling.” The source noted that another member of the court panel, a military officer, had opposed the decision while Jaha approved it without reservation.
Weapons and rising tensions in host communities
Legally, the arrest of armed Hezbollah members represents a direct application of the government decision banning any military or security activity by the group. In principle, the ruling applies to anyone carrying weapons outside state authority and places them under threat of prosecution.
The more pressing challenge, however, lies in dealing with armed individuals among displaced populations.
Several neighborhoods in Beirut, including Hamra, Ras Beirut, Sakiat al-Janzir and Ain al-Remmaneh, as well as the towns of Aramoun and Kfarshima in Mount Lebanon, have witnessed repeated incidents involving gunfire, displays of weapons and confrontations with local residents.
Videos circulating on social media show armed men threatening residents, including footage recorded Sunday in Aramoun.
These incidents have heightened anxiety among host communities already grappling with mounting social and economic pressures.
Some residents say the security measures in place remain “below the required level,” arguing that the absence of deterrent action risks encouraging further incidents and creating the impression that the law is applied hesitantly when those involved are linked to Hezbollah.
A Lebanese security source, however, insisted that authorities treat all security incidents seriously. Delays in reaching certain locations, the source said, often result from limited personnel and the difficulty of maintaining coverage across all displacement areas.
Security forces maintain a near-permanent presence at the entrances of schools and facilities housing displaced people, the source added, while most incidents occur in nearby streets and neighborhoods. Patrols respond immediately to reports of gunfire or clashes, detaining suspects or pursuing them if they leave the scene.
Nevertheless, the official acknowledged that the continued incidents could lead to broader friction between displaced populations and local residents — particularly in densely populated areas — at a time when host communities are already under severe economic strain and displacement is expected to continue for months.
