Lebanese security forces recently confiscated hundreds of kilograms of explosives from a vehicle stopped at a checkpoint on the highway between Beirut and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah confirmed the shipment belonged to the group and called for its immediate return.

The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah stated while also seeking the release of those detained. The Iran-backed group indicated the explosives were meant for operations against Israeli forces inside Lebanon.

The Lebanese government should turn down this request. Its security forces have made a clear move to enforce national authority. Returning the explosives would undercut that progress and validate Hezbollah view that it can supersede state institutions.

Lebanon has long maintained that only the state should hold weapons. In March the government explicitly prohibited Hezbollah military operations. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has repeated the commitment to collect illegal arms and stop smuggling. The question now is whether Beirut will uphold those pledges when Hezbollah directly challenges them.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who urged Aoun to keep the explosives, was correct. According to a State Department account of their discussion, Rubio said returning the materials should be out of the question and called for accountability for those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment.

No sovereign government should tolerate an armed group transporting hundreds of kilograms of explosives across the country without official approval.

Lebanese military team set to join US-led trilateral discussions

A Lebanese military delegation is scheduled to take part on Tuesday in US-hosted trilateral talks in Tampa, Florida. Beirut intends to push for an end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. Under the US-brokered plan, Hezbollah disarmament is tied to a gradual Israeli pullback. Hezbollah continues to reject disarmament while Israeli forces remain on Lebanese soil.

Lebanon call merits serious consideration. Israel should pursue a security framework that permits troop withdrawal. An open-ended military presence carries ongoing costs, and repeated strikes cannot deliver a lasting solution.

Any withdrawal must also block a return to pre-war conditions. For years, agreements meant to keep Hezbollah forces away from Israel border went unenforced. Hezbollah built up missiles, constructed military sites, and sustained an armed force stronger than the Lebanese state.

Israel cannot responsibly ask residents of the North to accept that situation again.

Complete disarmament will require time. Lebanon can start with the weapons already in its hands: keep the explosives, retain evidence for investigation, and plan their safe disposal.

Authorities should probe the shipment, prosecute anyone found to have broken Lebanese law, and apply the same approach to future seizures no matter who claims ownership.

Such steps would bolster Lebanon standing in negotiations. If Beirut wants Israel to halt strikes and withdraw forces, it must show that Lebanese territory will stay secure against renewed attack preparations.

Backing Lebanon efforts to control its borders

Israel also bears responsibility to support progress. Jerusalem has stated it wants the Lebanese government and armed forces to replace Hezbollah as the main authority in the south.

Steady, independently confirmed advances on disarmament, blocking smuggling, and extending state control should be matched by phased Israeli measures under the agreed framework, in line with security needs of northern communities.

One seizure cannot prove those conditions are met. It can, however, help show whether Lebanese authorities plan to enforce their decisions consistently.

Verification should include access to suspected weapons sites, clear reports on confiscations, and proof that dismantled positions stay closed. Lebanon partners should assist its army with these tasks and ensure political pressure never decides which shipments pass checkpoints.

The European Union newly approved mission to train and advise Lebanon military and internal security forces provides additional support. Its deployment is still pending. Foreign help will achieve little unless Beirut is ready to uphold its authority against Hezbollah demands.

Who decides which armed forces operate on Lebanese soil? If the answer is the Lebanese state, then Beirut already knows what must be done with Hezbollah explosives.