A Lebanese military court judge charged 13 people on Friday following the seizure of a truck carrying explosives linked to Hezbollah earlier in October, state media reported.
Authorities arrested two defendants when they intercepted the shipment, and both remain in custody. The other suspects are at large and were charged in absentia. Judicial documents list five defendants solely by nicknames because their real identities are unknown.
The cases have been referred to Claude Ghanem, the investigative judge at the military court.
The National News Agency stated that the charges involve crimes against internal state security, possessing weapons and explosives, and forming illegal associations designed to undermine state authority.
Judicial officials reported the vehicle was halted at a checkpoint on the main highway connecting Beirut to the eastern Bekaa Valley. The transport carried 780 kilograms of explosives, including 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives.
The seizure provoked widespread public debate across Lebanon. Critics accused Hezbollah of planning domestic assassinations as the group faces growing political pressure to disarm.
Hezbollah released a statement confirming ownership of the explosive materials. The group asserted that the shipment was designated for operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, and urged Lebanese authorities to release the two detained individuals and return the explosives.
For years, Hezbollah operated and moved armaments freely across designated regions of Lebanon. This policy shifted in March when the Lebanese government declared all military operations by the Iran-backed faction illegal.
That government directive followed a series of rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah toward northern Israel. The resulting conflict has caused nearly 4,000 deaths in Lebanon and left Israeli forces occupying a significant portion of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah initiated the rocket fire two days after Israel and the United States launched a war on Iran, which serves as the group’s primary backer.
Hezbollah rejects the official government ruling that outlaws its military wing.
