13 charged in Hezbollah explosives case
Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem has charged 13 individuals in the case of the Hezbollah explosives truck that was stopped in Dahr al-Baidar, the National News Agency reported on Friday.
MTV identified some of the individuals as Hezbollah members Haytham Amhaz and Ali al-Kurdi, who are in custody, in addition to Hezbollah security officials Ibrahim Habib (nicknamed Sajid) and Bilal Sabouri (nicknamed Zulfiqar). It identified another four as Mohammad Ayoub, Mohammad Zoaiter (who was in a car escorting Amhaz and al-Kurdi's truck), Mohammad Hazimeh (the vehicle’s owner), and Iryna Kryshynova, who is Amhaz's wife.
“They are charged with offenses against internal and external state security, as well as felonies under Article 353 of the Penal Code and Articles 27 and 76 of the Arms Law,” MTV added.
The National News Agency said five other Hezbollah members, who have only been identified by their noms de guerre, have also been charged by Ghanem.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
The truck, which was stopped at a checkpoint on the main highway linking Beirut with the eastern Bekaa Valley earlier in October, was carrying 780 kilograms of explosives, including 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosives, according to judicial officials.
The news of its seizure generated heated public discussion, with many accusing Hezbollah of planning to carry out assassinations of domestic opponents at a time when the group is under increasing pressure to disarm.
Hezbollah later issued a statement acknowledging that the explosives belonged to the group. It said they were intended for use against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. It said it had requested Lebanese authorities return the explosives and release the two people who were detained.
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.
Source: Naharnet
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