Lebanon seizes 500 kg of explosives at checkpoint; two suspected Hezbollah members arrested

Right · 2Lebanese security forces seized about 500 kg of explosives from a vehicle at a checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar, in the Bekaa Valley near the road to Syria, and arrested two men, in the latter part of last week. 1 2 Right · 2A judicial source told AFP the load was 250 kg of TNT-type explosives and 250 kg of C4-type explosives, and that, based on initial investigations, one suspect is the son of a Hezbollah official and the other is also a member of the group. 1 2 Right · 1The source said the car was heading toward Beirut, though its ultimate destination remains unknown; Arab News, carrying AFP, noted that Lebanese authorities have not confirmed the source's information. 2

Right · 1The Jerusalem Post, citing Al-Hadath, reported that the suspects admitted receiving the explosives from a Hezbollah commander in Baalbek and were told to take them to Beirut's southern suburbs, and that the explosives contained nails and metal balls; it also cited MTV Lebanon for the suspects' birth years (1981 and 1991) and for the explosives being handed to the army. These details come from media reports and are not confirmed by officials in the coverage. 1 Right · 2Justice Minister Adel Nassar wrote on X that disarming illegal groups, combating terrorism and prosecuting lawbreakers is an "irreversible path" that will accelerate, and that the investigation into the explosives will be completed to the end. 1 2 Right · 1On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government would not tolerate anyone who tampers with Lebanon's security and would deal with them firmly, adding that public concern stems from the shipment containing C-4, a substance used in political assassinations. 2

Right · 1Opposition figures reacted sharply: Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel said the explosives were most likely meant for a wave of assassinations and urged the state to dismantle Hezbollah's military and security structure, while Lebanese Forces lawmaker Ziad Hawat called for an investigation and, if Hezbollah's involvement is proven, arrests and a ban on all its activities, including political activity. 1 Right · 1The seizure comes against a backdrop of Lebanon approving a plan in 2025 to disarm Hezbollah; renewed war after Hezbollah attacked Israel in March in support of Iran; an Israeli invasion and occupation of a strip of southern Lebanon; and a June ceasefire followed by a framework deal on Hezbollah's disarmament, gradual Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the Lebanese army. 2 Right · 1The Jerusalem Post says Hezbollah has refused to comply with Beirut's March decision to ban its military activities, and notes that Lebanon does not classify the group as a terrorist organisation. 1

Right · 1Separately, the Lebanese army said on 1 October it had seized about 245 kg of TNT, four IEDs and eight detonators smuggled from Syria, whose smugglers fled back across the border; that attempt has not been publicly attributed to Hezbollah. 1 Right · 1Syria's new authorities, who toppled Bashar Assad at the end of 2024, have regularly announced interceptions of weapons shipments bound for Lebanon; Hezbollah denies having any presence on Syrian territory. No Hezbollah response to the seizure appears in the coverage. 2