Lebanon: Security Raid Tests Relationship with Hezbollah

A security patrol raided a medicine warehouse in Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday after individuals tried to prevent it, before completing its mission with Lebanese Army support. A security source said Hezbollah demanded the patrol withdraw and considered the raid to have been carried out without the agreed mechanism, while MP Ashraf Rifi said the incident could indicate a change in the state’s handling of Hezbollah. The developments come amid a dispute over an explosives shipment seized in Dahr al-Baidar and moves to refer its file to the Judicial Council, with the army deploying in Beirut and on the outskirts of the southern suburb. Sources said the warehouse belongs to the son of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, a claim not independently verified.