Army reinforces Beirut's southern suburbs after armed men surround judicial patrol

The Lebanese Army deployed across Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday after a tense night that followed a standoff at a warehouse in the Galerie Semaan area.

Criminal investigators and security forces, acting on an order from the Prosecutor General, were seizing spoiled medicines from the depot when armed men affiliated with Hezbollah surrounded them. The gunmen pulled back once army reinforcements arrived, and the depot was sealed with red wax. Hezbollah's media office denied owning the facility and said the patrol continued once contacts were made.

Hezbollah supporters on motorcycles later rallied in parts of the capital and briefly blocked a main road. A report in al-Akhbar that two men had been summoned over the seized explosives was denied by Hezbollah MP Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and judicial sources told MTV it was baseless.

The army's swift deployment shows the state can protect its judges and police. Lebanese Lobby stands with the security forces and the judiciary: no one should be allowed to intimidate officers carrying out a court order.