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A Lebanese military court has charged 13 individuals for their alleged involvement in shipping explosives to Hezbollah after authorities seized approximately 1,100 pounds of cargo earlier this month. Only two of the charged have been detained, with proceedings initiated against 12 members of Hezbollah and one spouse for various violations, according to a judicial source.
A Lebanese military court has initiated proceedings against 12 members of Hezbollah and one spouse, charging them with multiple violations, including possession of explosives. Only two of the suspects are currently detained, and five remain unidentified except by noms de guerre.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has pledged that authorities “will deal with weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness” in response to the charges against Hezbollah members. The proceedings against the 13 individuals could further escalate tensions in Lebanon, particularly as Hezbollah has resisted disarmament despite a framework peace agreement signed with Israel in June.
What remains unclear — It is not clear how the authorities plan to ensure compliance with the Lebanese Prime Minister’s vow to address weapons outside the legal framework.
Lebanese court charges 13 individuals over explosives shipment to Hezbollah
A Lebanese military court on Friday charged 13 people for their alleged involvement in shipping explosives to Hezbollah, a judicial source told the AFP news agency, after authorities seized the roughly 1,100-pound cargo earlier this month.
The charges come as pressure mounts on Hezbollah, long a major political and paramilitary force in Lebanon that the U.S. and Israel consider an Iran-backed terrorist organization. The group has been weakened by back-to-back wars with Israel and is now facing a concerted push from authorities in Beirut, with backing from the Trump administration, to disarm its military wing.
Only two of the 13 people charged over the explosives shipment have been detained, and only eight have been identified, with the remaining five known only by noms de guerre.
Proceedings have been opened “against 12 members of Hezbollah, and one of their spouses,” a judicial official told AFP. They were charged with “violating government decisions, possession of arms and explosives, and criminal conspiracy to undermine the authority of the state,” the source said.
In a rare admission, Hezbollah acknowledged ownership of the vehicle and its cargo, and even demanded the shipment be returned.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has vowed that authorities “will deal with weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness.”
In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework peace agreement that included the disarmament of Hezbollah and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army stepping in to secure the area.
So far, Hezbollah has flatly refused to disarm or acknowledge the ceasefire, and very little of what Israel calls its occupied “security zone” in southern Lebanon has been handed over to Lebanese forces.
WTX/AFP