Hezbollah admits explosives shipment seized by Lebanon belongs to group

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Thursday that a shipment of explosives seized by authorities last week belonged to the group, adding that the materials were intended for use against ‘Israel’.

His remarks came after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed to take firm action against unauthorized weapons.

A Lebanese judicial source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday that security forces had detained two men suspected of belonging to Hezbollah last week in the Dhahr al-Baidar area, along the international highway leading to neighboring Syria, as they transported 500 kilograms of explosives.

Fadlallah said in a televised statement that Hezbollah had contacted the “security and judicial authorities” following the vehicle’s seizure and informed them that “the vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance.”

He added that the group had demanded “the immediate release of the detainees and the return of the vehicle and its contents,” describing the materials as “capabilities” used by Hezbollah against ‘Israel’.

The judicial source said the shipment contained “250 kilograms of TNT explosives and 250 kilograms of highly explosive C4.”

Salam vows action against unauthorized weapons

Salam commented on the seizure on Monday, saying authorities had confiscated “hundreds of kilograms of explosives” from a truck.

“We will not be lenient in pursuing and expanding the investigation to identify all those involved in this criminal operation, those behind them, and to uncover their plans and objectives,” Salam said in a post on X, adding that those responsible would be prosecuted.

His government would “deal with the required firmness with any weapons outside the framework of legality, whether in possession, transportation or use,” he added.

Authorities have seized three shipments of explosives being transported from eastern Lebanon since the beginning of October.

Hezbollah rejects disarmament

Following a devastating war between Hezbollah and ‘Israel’ that lasted more than a year and ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, the Lebanese government approved a plan to disarm the group, stipulating that weapons should be held exclusively by legitimate state forces.

The army was tasked with implementing the plan.

Hezbollah has rejected disarmament and re-entered the conflict by launching attacks against ‘Israel’ in early March in response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drawing Lebanon back into the war.

Until recently, the Iran-backed group was Lebanon’s most influential political and military force.

It had also previously received support from Syria, which served as a major supply route during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Hezbollah has faced accusations over assassinations targeting political and media figures opposed to Damascus, particularly between 2005 and 2008.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued verdicts against Hezbollah members in the case concerning the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.

Dispute over C4 explosives

Salam said Monday that C4 explosives had been used in several notorious political assassinations in Lebanon’s modern history.

Fadlallah rejected the implications of Salam’s remarks, saying the prime minister’s rush to frame the seizure as preparations for assassinations amounted to “a campaign aimed at sowing discord that deepens divisions among the Lebanese.”

He insisted that “the resistance, with all its types of weapons, is directed exclusively against the Israeli enemy.”