Lebanese authorities are facing mounting pressure to uncover the network behind a large shipment of explosives seized at a checkpoint in Dahir al-Baidar, with questions mounting over who ordered the cargo transported, where it was headed and what it was intended for, according to a report by Nidaa Al Watan.

The seizure has raised concerns about the possible involvement of a broader network, particularly given Hezbollah’s history of political assassinations, which have targeted presidents, political leaders, lawmakers, journalists and activists, the newspaper reported.

Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem is expected to expand the investigation to identify the alleged mastermind behind the operation and establish the purpose of the shipment, according to information obtained by Nidaa Al Watan.

The truck driver reportedly attempted to show a special identification card associated with Hezbollah at the Daher al-Baydar checkpoint. The group had used such cards to facilitate the movement of its members. However, the Internal Security Forces officer overseeing the checkpoint refused to examine the card, impounded the truck and notified the judiciary.

The cargo included 562 kilograms of TNT packed in 14 sacks, 206 kilograms of C-4 explosives, 350 kilograms of metal pellets contained in 15 cartons, and five empty metal casings designed for shaped charges, the newspaper reported.

The quantities and types of materials have raised urgent questions about their source, intended destination and planned use.

A diplomatic source told Nidaa Al Watan that the case had placed the Lebanese authorities under international scrutiny, making their handling of the investigation a test of the state's credibility and commitment to ensuring that weapons remain exclusively under state control.

Any failure to uncover the network behind the explosives, or any attempt to hold only those who transported the shipment accountable without identifying the people who ordered it, would further undermine confidence in the state's commitment to that principle, the source said.

The source also warned that the case would remain serious even if the explosives were destined for southern Lebanon for use against Israel, as Hezbollah has sought to suggest. Such a destination would not lessen the state's responsibility; rather, it would underscore the need for the Lebanese army and security forces to extend state authority throughout the country, particularly in the south.

Even if the shipment was ultimately intended for Beirut's southern suburbs, Hezbollah stronghold, before being moved farther south, the source said, its transportation would raise questions about the State's ability to exercise control over the movement of weapons and explosives across Lebanese territory.

Questions over Hezbollah's explosives network

Separate information obtained by Nidaa Al Watan suggests that Hezbollah has been consolidating explosive materials previously held by groups affiliated with the Resistance Brigades because of what the newspaper described as a need for them at the current stage.

That account raises questions about the nature of the alleged need, the location of storage facilities established by Hezbollah and supplied to the Resistance Brigades, and the reasons for moving the shipment at this particular time.

Sources following the case said the transportation operation was not the work of an individual acting alone. According to the sources, indications and confessions point to an organized operation involving Hezbollah members who arranged for the materials to be secured and transported for delivery.

On that basis, the sources argued, investigators should seek to uncover the entire network and question Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, rather than limit the case to the two men arrested while transporting the explosives.

Military expert warns of potential casualties

A military expert told Nidaa Al Watan that the significance of the seizure lay not only in the shipment's weight but also in the nature of the materials involved.

TNT and C-4 are high explosives widely associated with military and security applications. TNT is used in various types of military ammunition, including bombs, while C-4 is a powerful explosive commonly used for demolition.

The metal pellets found in the shipment were also a source of concern because, according to the expert, they could increase the number of people killed or wounded if used in a bombing or assassination.

The expert also pointed to previous assassinations in which Hezbollah was accused of involvement and in which C-4 was reportedly used, including the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the assassinations of journalist and lawmaker Gibran Tueni and lawmaker Antoine Ghanem, and the 2013 killing of security official Wissam al-Hassan.