Lebanese court charges 13 over Hezbollah explosives shipment

A Lebanese military court on Friday charged 13 people over their alleged involvement in shipping explosives to Hezbollah, AFP reported, citing a judicial source.

The charges come after authorities seized a half-tonne cargo earlier this month, as Hezbollah emerges from back-to-back wars with Israel and faces a push from authorities in Beirut to disarm its military wing.

Only two of the 13 have been detained, and eight have been identified, with the remaining five known only by their noms de guerre.

Proceedings have been opened “against 12 members of Hezbollah, and one of their spouses”, according to the judicial source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The case has been transferred to a military judge who is authorised to issue arrest warrants.

Two suspected Hezbollah members were arrested on 8 October in a vehicle headed towards Beirut from eastern Lebanon.

In a rare admission, the group said the vehicle and its cargo “belong to the resistance” against Israel, and demanded the shipment be returned.

“These accusations are unjust and unfair,” Hezbollah member of parliament Hussein Hajj Hassan said on Friday.

Those charged “did not undermine the security or integrity of the state, but rather confronted the Israeli enemy that threatens Lebanon’s existence”, he added.

In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement which included the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupies in the south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area.