Lebanese military court judge charges 13 over a seized Hezbollah explosives truck

Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in A judge at a Lebanese military court charged 13 people over a truck carrying explosives belonging to the Hezbollah militant group that was seized by authorities earlier this month, state media reported Friday. Two of the defendants were arrested when the shipment was seized and are in custody.

The others remain at large and were charged in absentia. Five of the defendants were listed only by nicknames because their real names are still unknown. The cases were referred to the military court’s investigative judge Claude Ghanem. The charges include crimes against internal state security and possessing weapons and explosives and forming illegal associations aimed at undermining the authority of the state, the state-run National News Agency said.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. The truck, which was stopped at a checkpoint on the main highway linking Beirut with the eastern Bekaa Valley earlier in October, was carrying 780 kilograms (1,720 pounds) of explosives, including 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of TNT and 250 kilograms (550 pounds) of C-4 plastic explosives, according to judicial officials. The news of its seizure generated heated public discussion, with many accusing Hezbollah of planning to carry out assassinations of domestic opponents at a time when the group is under increasing pressure to disarm.

Hezbollah later issued a statement acknowledging that the explosives belonged to the militant group. It said they were intended for use against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. It said it had requested Lebanese authorities return the explosives and release the two people who were detained. For years, Hezbollah had moved weapons freely in parts of Lebanon. That changed in March, when the Lebanese government declared all military activities by the Iran-backed group “illegal.”

That decision came hours after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, triggering a war that has killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and resulted in Israeli forces occupying a large swath of southern Lebanon. The group fired the rockets two days after Israel and the United States launched a war on Iran, its main backer. Hezbollah has refused to recognize the government decision outlawing its military wing.