Report: ISF pursuing 3 men who escorted Hezbollah explosives truck
The Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces has identified three young men from Hezbollah who were escorting the Dahr al-Baidar explosives shipment aboard a Kia vehicle, MTV reported.
According to the report, the three men fled toward Beirut after the explosives vehicle was intercepted at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint.
The Information Branch meanwhile “continues to pursue them to arrest and bring them before the competent judiciary," the report added.
The truck’s driver and a companion, both Hezbollah members, were arrested by the ISF at the checkpoint.
The truck was carrying 780 kilograms of explosives, including 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives, according to judicial officials.
Hezbollah has said that the explosives were intended for use against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, as rivals voiced fears that the shipment might be used in assassinations of domestic opponents at a time when the group is under increasing pressure to disarm.
The incident has highlighted growing tensions between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
For years, Hezbollah had moved weapons freely in parts of Lebanon. That changed in March, when the Lebanese government declared all military activities by the Iran-backed group "illegal."
That decision came hours after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, triggering a war that has killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon and resulted in Israeli forces occupying a large swath of southern Lebanon. The group fired the rockets two days after Israel and the United States launched a war on Iran, its main backer.
Hezbollah has refused to recognize the government decision outlawing its military wing.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/323367 |