Division in Lebanon over Hezbollah’s confiscated explosives

What the report says

Lebanese authorities have become embroiled in a new dispute with Hezbollah after security forces seized a minivan on Oct. 5 at a checkpoint in Dahr el-Baydar, between the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon. According to Lebanese officials cited by Al Jazeera, the vehicle was carrying hundreds of kilos of explosive material, including TNT and C-4, and two people were detained.

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah later said the explosives belonged to the group and were meant for use against Israel, not against Lebanese targets. He said Hezbollah had asked for the return of the vehicle and those arrested. That claim has deepened suspicions among Hezbollah’s political rivals, some of whom fear the material could be used in attacks inside Lebanon. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also noted that C-4 had been used in past assassinations, while investigators have not said the seized shipment was intended for such a purpose.

The episode comes amid wider tension over Hezbollah’s weapons and its relationship with the Lebanese state. Al Jazeera reported that Lebanese leaders have been trying to place all non-state arms under government control, while the army has moved to dismantle some Hezbollah sites in the south. Recent months have also seen repeated smuggling cases and continued Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon, adding to pressure on Beirut as it tries to enforce its authority.

Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the case may reflect both regional escalation and Lebanon’s fragmented security system, where different agencies answer to competing political loyalties. That makes any investigation politically sensitive and raises doubts about how far the government can go in pursuing those behind the shipment.