Lebanon arrests 2 suspected Hezbollah men over explosives

Lebanese authorities arrested two suspected Hezbollah members accused of transporting half a tonne of explosives, a judicial source told AFP on Saturday.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two men were caught on Thursday afternoon, October 8, at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in eastern Lebanon, near a road linking the country with Syria. They were in a car heading toward Beirut.

Security forces found 250 kilograms of TNT-type explosives and 250 kilograms of C4-type explosives in the vehicle, the judicial source said.

The source said initial investigations indicated that one suspect is the son of a Hezbollah official and that the other is also a member of the Iran-backed group. The destination of the explosives remains unknown, the source said.

Lebanese authorities have not confirmed the judicial source's information. Justice Minister Adel Nassar said on X that “the investigation into the seized explosives, and everything that follows from it, will continue to the very end.”

Lebanon approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah in 2025 after a ceasefire the previous November ended a war between the group and Israel. A new ceasefire was struck in June after renewed fighting, and Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a framework deal involving Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese army deployment in the region.