Lebanese Army Seizes 'Third' Smuggled Explosives Shipment from Syria

Beirut (Agencies): The Lebanese Army announced yesterday the seizure of approximately 200 kilograms of explosives smuggled from neighboring Syria, hours after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that authorities would deal firmly with any weapons outside the legal framework, following the seizure days earlier of another shipment suspected of being linked to Hezbollah. This marks the third time since the beginning of the current month that Lebanese authorities have thwarted the smuggling of highly explosive materials. In the first incident, two men linked to Hezbollah were arrested during the operation. In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Lebanese Army announced that it had seized “about 200 kilograms of explosives, packed in bags and prepared for smuggling from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory, in the Qasr area in Hermel (east).” The statement noted that the smugglers managed to flee into Syrian territory. A judicial source told the Agence France-Presse that the explosives, which were of the “C4” type, were being transported by donkey through an illegal crossing in the town of Qasr. Earlier in the month, the Lebanese Army had announced the seizure of a quarter-ton of highly explosive TNT after it was smuggled from the Syrian side, also noting that the smugglers fled to Syria. On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam posted on the X platform: “We will not relax in pursuing the investigation and expanding it, to identify all those involved in this criminal operation, as well as those behind them, and to uncover their plans and objectives,” adding that they would be prosecuted. He further stated that his government “will deal with the required firmness with any weapon outside the legal framework, whether in possession, transport, or use.” Salam recalled that C4 had been used in “a number of notorious political assassinations in modern Lebanese history.” Meanwhile, the European Council adopted yesterday a decision to establish an EU support mission in Lebanon. According to a statement, the mission will “provide advice and assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to strengthen their control over their territory, border security, and internal security.”