LONDON: Lebanese security forces seized medicines deemed unfit for use and sealed a warehouse in Beirut’s Galerie Semaan area Friday, after a group of men tried to block the raid, authorities said.
The Internal Security Forces said young men on motorcycles gathered to prevent officers from the Central Criminal Investigations Division from entering the warehouse.
Officers completed the operation despite the obstruction, confiscating the medicine and sealing the premises. The statement did not identify the men or say whether they were armed.
Lebanese media, including broadcaster Al-Jadeed and Annahar newspaper, reported earlier Friday that dozens of armed men who identified themselves as Hezbollah supporters surrounded the officers and demanded that their commander withdraw.
According to the reports, the officers were acting on an order from Public Prosecutor Ahmad Rami Al-Hajj following a referral from Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine.
Al-Jadeed reported that the medicines were stored in warehouses belonging to a pharmaceutical company, were unfit for use and did not meet health requirements for distribution.
As the number of armed men grew to several hundred, the patrol commander contacted Al-Hajj, who instructed him to seek reinforcements from the army and Internal Security Forces, Al-Jadeed reported. Troops arrived, and the armed men later withdrew.
Hezbollah later Friday denied “any connection whatsoever to the warehouse in question or its contents.”
The Iran-backed group said in a statement that the incident in Galerie Semaan occurred when a security patrol carried out a raid “without following the agreed procedures” between the group and security authorities.
The patrol entered a “security-sensitive area” without following procedures that the group said took account of conditions in Beirut’s southern suburbs amid continuing Israeli threats and security risks.
The group said contacts were made with the relevant authorities and legal officials, and once the circumstances were clarified, the patrol proceeded with its operation to execute the judicial order.
The Internal Security Forces said the premises were sealed with red wax and an investigation had started under judicial supervision.
Sealing a facility with red wax is an official legal and administrative procedure used in Lebanon by law enforcement, the Internal Security Forces, health ministries or the judiciary to shut down a facility pending an investigation.