Hezbollah demands the Lebanese army to release its members and return the confiscated explosives shipment

Beirut - Ofoq News - Hezbollah acknowledged that a shipment of explosives confiscated by the Lebanese authorities last week belonged to the party, and said it was intended for use against Israel, demanding the immediate release of those arrested in the case and the return of the shipment.

The Associated Press quoted Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah as saying that the explosives were intended exclusively for use against the “Israeli occupation” in southern Lebanon. He also rejected accusations that they might be used to assassinate government officials, describing them as “baseless.”

These statements come in light of the escalation of tension between Hezbollah and the Lebanese authorities, which seek to strengthen the authority of the state and confine weapons to the hands of official institutions.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had confirmed, after the shipment was seized, that the state would not tolerate the presence of illegal weapons, stressing the need to identify all those involved in the case, including those who issued the orders, and pointing out the danger of using this type of explosive in previous political assassinations.

According to the report, the seized shipment inside a vehicle contained about 500 kilograms of different types of explosives. Since the beginning of the month, the Lebanese army has also confiscated two additional shipments of explosives in the east of the country near the Syrian border, as part of efforts aimed at reducing cross-border smuggling operations between the two countries.