Lebanese Army destroys 70 hectares of cannabis and arrests 10 in Hermel
Lebanon's army finished days of raids around Hermel on 1 October 2018, destroying 0.7 square kilometres of narcotic plants, confiscating 13 storage rooms of narcotics and five hashish manufacturing machines, and arresting 10 people.
Lebanon’s army finished days of raids around Hermel and announced on 1 October 2018 that 10 people had been arrested, 13 storage rooms containing narcoticsconfiscated, and 0.7 square kilometres (70 hectares) of narcotic plants destroyed.[1]Troops also seized five hashish manufacturing machines along with weapons, ammunition, military equipment and communication devices.[1]The arrested people and everything confiscated were handed to the relevant authorities.[1]
An earlier statement
The 1 October announcement followed a previous army statement on the same Hermel raids, which it said were still under way at that point.[1]The statement also lists one gram of cocaine among the items seized alongside the narcotics.[1]
Photos and video
A hashish manufacturing machine seized in the hills during the Hermel operationPhoto details
The Lebanese Army said it destroyed 215 tonnes of cannabis and marijuana in Hermel and Baalbek during a three-day operation. One unit cleared 200 tonnes with greenhouses and planted land in the Marjehin plain, while another destroyed 15 tonnes in Boudai and seized drug-manufacturing machines.
Lebanese forces eradicated 255 dunams of cannabis across Baalbek-Hermel from January to 10 November 2026, ending with an operation in Jerd Marjhine. The crop remains unlawful because parliament's 2020 medical-cannabis law still lacks implementing decrees.
Lebanon's army said on 1 November 2026 that one of its units had destroyed a marijuana crop covering about 9,700 square meters in the Zarzir and Ainata areas of Baalbek. The statement gave no plant count or weight, named no suspects and reported no arrests.
The Lebanese Army said it destroyed about 180 dunums of cannabis and seized about 60 tonnes of the crop at Jabab al-Hamr near Hermel on 26 October 2026. A next-day newsletter roundup confirmed the figures and noted a related arrest in Brital.
