Rubio urges Lebanon not to return confiscated explosives to Hezbollah, US official says
By Gwen
Posted Oct 17, 2026 at 2:34 AM
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun regarding the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of explosives from Hezbollah, according to a US State Department official. Rubio urged Aoun to hold accountable those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, emphasizing that returning the explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question.
Rubio also encouraged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces to deconflict operations. A Hezbollah lawmaker, Hassan Fadlallah, claimed the explosives seized last week by Lebanese security forces belonged to his group, stating Hezbollah intended to use them against Israel, which occupies parts of Lebanese territory seized during this year’s war.
A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters the explosives, found in a car last week, were intended for explosive drones targeting Israeli troops. President Aoun informed Rubio that Lebanese army and security forces are fully implementing decisions to prevent armed displays, confiscate weapons, and combat smuggling. Aoun also requested Rubio to pressure Israel to halt attacks on southern Lebanese towns and villages.
On March 2, the Lebanese government banned Hezbollah’s military activities after the group launched rockets at Israel to support Tehran, drawing Lebanon into the broader US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28. Tehran subsequently struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases, while US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have resulted in thousands of deaths and millions displaced.
Under a US-brokered agreement, Beirut committed to disarming Hezbollah in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawals. However, Hezbollah has refused to disarm as long as Israeli forces remain in Lebanon, and Israel has continued striking southern Lebanon. The situation highlights the complex interplay of military operations, ceasefire efforts, and regional tensions, with calls for accountability and de-escalation remaining central to ongoing discussions.
Source: Read the original report
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
