The Military Court has issued two bench warrants for Hezbollah officials known as “Sajed” and “Zulfiqar” in the explosives shipment case, after the Army Intelligence Directorate successfully identified their full identities, media reports.
The decision came following yesterday's security meeting in Baabda under President Joseph Aoun, where it was agreed to pursue the case to the end and for the judiciary to “fully carry out its duties regarding this file,” the reports said.
Hezbollah has acknowledged that a truck full of explosives seized by Lebanese authorities belongs to the group and said the explosives were intended for use against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
The truck, which was stopped at a checkpoint on the main highway linking Beirut with the eastern Bekaa Valley, was carrying 780 kilograms of explosives, including 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives, according to judicial officials.
Two men were arrested when the truck was stopped, and Lebanese authorities launched an investigation. They said that security agencies will go after other people involved in the shipment.
The news of its seizure has generated heated public discussions, 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 has requested Lebanese authorities to hand the shipment over to them and release the two people who were detained.
The incident has highlighted growing tensions between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
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.