Lebanese military court charges 13 Hezbollah members over seizure of half a tonne of explosives

Charges over the explosives seizure

A Lebanese military court has charged 13 members of Hezbollah in connection with the seizure of half a tonne of explosives from a car heading to Beirut. According to The National, Judge Claude Ganem brought charges against eight members of the group whose identities have been established, including the two occupants of the car — Ali Al-Kurdi and Haitham Amhaz — as well as five known only by their aliases. The two detainees are the only ones currently in custody.

The nature of the charges and possible penalty

The charges include endangering state security, failure to comply with government decisions, membership in a banned organization, and possession of firearms and explosives. According to the National News Agency, cited by The National, the penalty provided for is 10 years in prison.

Context of the seizure and the parties' positions

The explosives were seized at the Dahr el-Baidar checkpoint in the Bekaa Valley earlier in October; the incident caused outrage in Lebanon, a significant part of whose south remains under Israeli occupation. Hezbollah demanded the release of its operatives and the return of 250 kg of TNT and 250 kg of C4 explosives, which, the group claimed, were intended for operations against Israel. The government, however, refused any handover and said it would see the investigation through to the end.

Political tension surrounding the case

The seizure has heightened tensions with Hezbollah, which has repeatedly criticized the government's course of disarming the group and holding direct talks with Israel. A number of cabinet ministers, including Justice Minister Adel Nassar, had sought to transfer the case to the Judicial Council, which handles state security matters. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called President Joseph Aoun and urged him not to return the seized explosives, despite Hezbollah's demands.