Lebanese forces seized hundreds of kilograms of explosives from a vehicle at a checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in the Bekaa Valley late last week, according to statements by Lebanese officials, which suggest the two people arrested in connection with the suspected smuggling operation were members of Hezbollah.
The seizure has fueled speculation about potential political assassinations and renewed calls for the Lebanese state to forcibly disarm Hezbollah, which has refused to comply with Beirut’s March decision to ban the group from military activities.
A judicial source told Agence France-Presse that the Lebanese military seized 250 kilograms of TNT-type explosives and 250 kilograms of C4, adding that one of the suspects was the son of a Hezbollah official and the other was also a member of the group. Though their identities were not revealed, MTV Lebanon reported that the suspects were born in 1981 and 1991.
The explosives were reportedly being transported to Beirut, according to Agence France-Presse.
Al-Hadath reported that the two suspects admitted to receiving the explosives from Hezbollah commander Sayyed Sajeed in Baalbek and had been instructed to transport them to Beirut’s southern suburbs.
According to Al-Hadath, the explosives contained nails and metal balls, suggesting they were designed to cause maximum damage in assassination operations. The explosives have since been transferred to the custody of the Lebanese military, according to MTV Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Justice Minister, Adel Nasser, posted on X shortly after the arrests that “disarmament of illegal weapons, combating terrorism, and pursuing all lawbreakers is an irreversible path, and it will accelerate. The investigation related to the seized explosives and everything branching from it will be completed to the end.”
Although Nasser framed the arrests as part of a broader effort to disarm illegal weapons and combat terrorism, Beirut does not classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, but as a legitimate political party despite its political assassinations, threats of civil war, and refusal to obey arms legislation.
Lebanese politician links explosives seizure to 2005 assassination of Rafic Hariri
Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel connected the attempted shipment to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, who was assassinated by Hezbollah on February 14, 2005, in Beirut after a massive truck bomb targeted his motorcade. The attack killed 22 people and wounded more than 200.
“We will not ask what the explosives being transported by Hezbollah members were intended for. Most likely, they were meant to fuel a wave of assassinations like the one between 2004 and 2008,” Gemayel wrote. “Delaying the implementation of decisions and enforcement of the law is what poses a threat to civil peace. The state must immediately begin dismantling Hezbollah’s military and security infrastructure before we all pay the price of terrorism once again.”
Lebanese lawmaker calls for Hezbollah ban if involvement in explosives shipment is proven
Ziad Hawat, a member of the Lebanese Forces party and the former mayor of Byblos, insisted the state investigate the origins, destination and purpose of the explosives and “if Hezbollah’s involvement with the state is proven, the judiciary must expedite the adoption of deterrent legal measures against the party, the arrest of the involved leadership and members, and the banning of all its activities, including political activity.”
“The state project faces the test, and the security of the Lebanese is in great danger,” he warned.
Earlier this month, the Lebanese military also thwarted an attempt from Syria to bring in 245kg of TNT, four IEDs, detonators and other explosives. This smuggling attempt has not been publicly attributed to Hezbollah.