Lebanon's judiciary is nearing the end of its preliminary investigation into Hezbollah explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar, setting the stage for charges against suspects as Justice Minister Adel Nassar pushes to refer the case to the Judicial Council. Nassar said the case went far beyond the transportation and storage of explosives, warning that it posed a threat to national security and civil peace. Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the Military Court, is expected to receive the findings of investigations conducted by Lebanese Army Intelligence and the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch within hours. He will review the evidence before deciding on charges against those implicated. Seven suspects Despite reports of a third arrest, a judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that only two suspects remained in custody: A.K. and H.A., who were aboard the truck carrying the explosives. Investigators have identified five other suspects linked to the case, the source said. Among them is a man known as "Sajed," a Hezbollah security operative suspected of handing over the explosives in Baalbek, and another known as "Zulfiqar," who also holds a security role and was allegedly designated to receive the shipment in Beirut's southern suburbs. The suspects also include H.A.'s wife and the truck's owner. While the government weighs whether to refer the case to the Judicial Council, proceedings are expected to continue before the Military Court. Ghanem will examine investigation records, confessions and evidence to determine which criminal offenses apply to each suspect before filing charges against those detained and those still at large, the judicial source said. Charges are expected on Thursday against suspects whose roles have been established. The investigation has also uncovered the suspects' real identities, the source said, adding that warrants to bring in suspects and search notices had been issued against some of them and were being executed. ‘National security threat’ Even as the case moves toward the military judiciary, which has jurisdiction over such crimes, Minister Nassar remained adamant that it should go before the Judicial Council. He stressed that his demand did not cast doubt on the investigators, particularly Ghanem. "This is not simply a case of transporting explosives. It has broader implications that threaten national security and civil peace," Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat. Nassar said he had submitted a legal memorandum to the president and prime minister during the latest cabinet meeting, arguing that receiving explosives of such a dangerous nature was a breach of national security. Their storage and transportation, he said, also endangered Lebanese lives. He argued that Hezbollah's acknowledgment that it possessed the explosives and intended to use them in a "new support front" amounted to an admission that it was contributing to threats against Lebanon's internal security. The case has intensified a dispute involving Lebanese officials who accuse Hezbollah of endangering the country's security, both through its activities at home and its repeated threats to open a new front against Israel. Nassar said the acknowledgment by an armed security and military organization that it imports explosives for use in warfare outside state control is a major threat to Lebanon's internal national security. For Nassar, pursuing the case through state institutions and upholding their authority would mark "a victory for legitimate authority over illegal weapons."
