What’s inside the pink containers? The explosives mystery gripping south Lebanon

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Pink-colored containers holding an unidentified substance have been spotted at several sites across southern Lebanon, appearing alongside intensified Israeli demolition operations that have triggered massive tremors and, at times, earthquakes.

What is this substance?

The Israeli army has not identified the material or disclosed its composition. But it has revealed something else: the scale of the explosives it uses.

The story dates back to October 2024, when the Israeli army blew up a Hezbollah underground facility stretching more than 1.5 kilometers. At the time, it said it had used about 400 tons of explosives.

What type of explosives were they?

Israel did not answer.

Nearly two years later, a possible clue emerged in Houla, specifically on July 2, 2026, when a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol entered a building. There, it found 385 containers with a combined weight of 4 tons of explosive material. According to UNIFIL, the explosives consisted mainly of ammonium nitrate compounds.

Who left them there?

UNIFIL’s statement did not say.

Agence France-Presse, citing a source familiar with the discovery, reported two notable details: Hebrew writing and indications that the material was likely intended for use in demolition operations.

In a similar video, the location of which could not be independently verified, Hebrew letters can also be seen.

This brings the pink containers back into focus, and their color remains part of the mystery.

But why might the Israeli army use such materials instead of aerial bombs? The answer is simple: They are less expensive, and their destructive impact is greater.

The destruction, however, could come at a very high cost to Lebanon’s infrastructure for years to come.

It is a military campaign aimed at eliminating Hezbollah’s presence above and below ground by all available means. Its consequences, however, will continue to affect residents of southern Lebanon after parts of the country were turned into scorched earth, with a return to some areas potentially remaining out of reach for some time.