Through dead mail... a thousand tons of explosives entered from Syria into Lebanon

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The shipment of explosives seized at a checkpoint in the Dahr al-Baydar area in the Bekaa (eastern Lebanon) remained in the interaction zone, while the Lebanese army announced yesterday, Monday, that it had seized in the Qasr-Hermel area (also east of the country), about 200 kilograms of explosive materials that were prepared for smuggling from Syria to Lebanon.

While those involved fled into Syrian territory, while follow-up and coordination continued to arrest them.

Investigations into this explosives case, which has preoccupied Lebanese public opinion over the past few days, are now with Army Intelligence in order to expand upon it after the file was with the government commissioner at the military court, Judge Claude Ghanem, who heard two detainees who were in the “explosives truck” and who, according to circulated information, admitted that they belonged to Hezbollah.

A military source told Al Arabiya.net/Al-Hadath.net that it was likely that the explosives truck seized in Dahr al-Baydar would be used in two destinations, given the quality and nature of the seized materials. He explained, "The nails and iron balls contained in the shipment may be intended to target Israeli forces after surprising them in areas where they resort to booby-trapping operations in homes and neighborhoods. As for the highly explosive TNT and C4, they may be used in assassination operations inside Lebanon."

He also indicated in statements today, Tuesday, that what was seized should not be used in marches.

In addition, the military source confirmed, "In recent weeks, the army seized about a thousand tons of explosives coming from the Syrian border, specifically in the Hermel border area with Syria, including the truck that was seized in Dahr al-Baydar."

He explained, "The mechanism for delivering explosive shipments at the border is similar to what is known as dead mail, as the cargo is left at an agreed-upon point, without each party necessarily knowing the identity of the rest of the participants or the final destination. When these shipments are confiscated, those involved are often not arrested because they flee after leaving them at the border."

As for the mechanism for transporting these explosives if they are not seized, the military source explained, “There are warehouses in the Bekaa region where explosives are placed before they are transported into Lebanon. This is what happened in the Dahr al-Baydar truck operation, as it did not come directly from the border with Syria, but rather its contents were transferred to one of the warehouses in the Bekaa as an initial station, and then it was later transported into Lebanon.”

He stressed, "The Lebanese army has intensified its efforts to monitor the border between Lebanon and Syria after recently seizing these shipments loaded with explosives."

He also pointed to "cooperation between the Lebanese and Syrian sides to limit smuggling operations."

The incident of stopping the explosives truck opened the door to many questions about whether it was one of several other trucks that had not been previously seized and may have reached its designated location, and whether smuggling routes are still “operating” on the border between Lebanon and Syria, which was linked to the Tehran-Damascus-Beirut road and was a main smuggling line before the fall of the former Syrian regime and Israel and America waging war against Iran and its arms in the region.

In this context, the military source confirmed that “the entry points for Revolutionary Guard members into Lebanon have become completely closed, after they were using the Tehran-Damascus/Beirut road to cross or through the airport.”