From Baalbek to Beirut's southern suburbs: Lebanon probes explosives shipment

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Hezbollah has issued no statement regarding the seizure of 800 kilograms of explosives, most of it highly explosive C-4, as information available so far indicates that the two men found in a van carrying the material admitted to working as contractors for the group to transport weapons. 

They were reportedly tasked with moving the shipment from Baalbek to Mcharafieh, in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
 
In the absence of an official comment from Hezbollah, media platforms and sources close to the group have circulated calls for the two detainees to be released and the explosives returned, arguing that the material would be used against the Israeli occupation in South Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the military judiciary has decided to expand the investigation into the case. The decision was taken by Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem, under the follow-up of Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation Rami El-Hajj.
 
According to sources, Hajj and Ghanem have asked army investigators to question the detainees further to clarify details of the transportation operation, identify those who delivered and received the explosives, determine who was directing them, and establish the purpose of moving the shipment from Baalbek to Mcharafieh.

The military judiciary is also expected to issue investigative requests aimed at identifying other people who may have been involved, particularly amid references to two individuals known as Hajj Sajed and Hajj Zulfiqar. It will also seek to review the phone records of the two detainees in an effort to identify their contacts and uncover the wider network involved.

The case has drawn local and international attention, putting the seriousness of Lebanon’s security agencies and judiciary in handling the investigation under scrutiny.

In this context, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed that there would be no leniency in pursuing the investigation, expanding its scope and dealing firmly with any weapons held outside the authority of the state.

The seizure of explosives in Dahr El Baydar follows earlier announcements by the Lebanese army that it had intercepted attempts to smuggle approximately 500 kilograms of TNT from inside Syria toward the northern Bekaa Valley on October 1, 9 and 12. No smugglers were arrested in those operations.