Lebanese investigators are working to identify Hezbollah officials who ordered the transport of a shipment of explosives seized at a security checkpoint on the road linking Beirut to the Bekaa Valley, in a case that could expand beyond the individuals who carried out the operation to those who authorized it, Lebanese media reported.

The investigation centers on a shipment weighing more than half a ton of TNT and C-4 explosives that was intercepted at the Dhahr al-Baidar checkpoint. Hezbollah has acknowledged ownership of the cargo and called for its return and the release of two detained men, intensifying a political dispute over the Lebanese state’s authority to control weapons and explosives.

MTV Lebanon reported that the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch was questioning 11 members of the security forces assigned to the checkpoint unit, including two officers. One of them was responsible for the checkpoint and ordered the shipment stopped.

Army Intelligence has also summoned the wife of detainee Haytham Amhaz to give a statement because her phone was allegedly used to receive instructions related to the operation. She had not appeared for questioning at the time of the report, despite living in Baalbek, MTV said.

Meanwhile, the Information Branch is trying to locate the owner of the vehicle used by the two Hezbollah members to transport the explosives. The man remains at large, according to the broadcaster.

Investigators seek those behind the operation

Lebanese security and political sources told Erem News that judicial authorities are considering expanding the investigation to identify Hezbollah officials who ordered the shipment to be moved from the Bekaa Valley toward Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Such a move could shift the focus from those who physically transported the explosives to the officials who planned and authorized the operation.

The sources said investigators had not yet issued formal judicial summonses for Hezbollah officials or leaders. They were working to establish the identities of those who supervised the operation, however, and could take action if sufficient legal evidence emerges.

Investigators are seeking to reconstruct the shipment’s entire route, from the location where it was handed over in the Baalbek area to the individuals responsible for transporting it and the person expected to receive it in Beirut’s southern suburbs, the sources said.

The inquiry is focusing on two people who allegedly used the aliases “Sajed” and “Zulfiqar.” Statements from the detainees indicate that Sajed delivered the explosives, while Zulfiqar was waiting to receive them.

Military Police and technical units are analyzing mobile phones and call records and cross-checking digital data to establish the real identities of those involved, according to the sources.

The use of aliases and unconventional communication methods, combined with the detainees’ reluctance to identify the people who gave them their orders, has complicated the investigation and delayed the issuance of formal summonses, they added.

Detainees reportedly lacked formal ties to Hezbollah

Preliminary findings concerning the two detainees, Haytham Amhaz and Ali al-Kurdi, suggest that they were working for Hezbollah without being directly affiliated with its formal organizational structure, the sources told Erem News.

The two men acknowledged receiving instructions related to the shipment’s transport but did not provide enough information to establish the full identities of those who issued the orders, according to the sources.

Their alleged lack of formal organizational ties raises questions about whether Hezbollah relies on individuals outside its official structure to carry out logistical tasks and how such arrangements may fit into broader networks used to transport weapons and explosives.

Security agencies are also investigating whether other vehicles accompanied the shipment on its journey from the Bekaa Valley and whether the route was part of a wider network involved in similar operations, the sources said.

Case fuels dispute over State authority

The investigation has heightened political tensions following Hezbollah’s acknowledgment that the explosives belonged to the group.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the shipment was intended for use against Israel and demanded that the two detainees be released and the seized explosives returned.

The Lebanese government, meanwhile, is insisting that the investigation proceed and that the explosives remain in state custody until their legal status is determined, the sources told Erem News. The dispute comes amid broader disagreements over the implementation of government decisions requiring that weapons be placed exclusively under state control.

The sources described differences within Lebanese institutions over how to handle the case. Some officials favor pursuing the judicial process until those responsible for the operation are identified, while others fear that escalating the investigation could trigger a political and security confrontation with Hezbollah.

Washington’s involvement has added another layer of pressure. The United States has called for accountability for those who ordered, financed and directed the shipment, increasing external pressure on Lebanese authorities as they navigate the domestic political sensitivities surrounding the case.

Could the investigation reach Hezbollah’s leadership?

The central challenge for investigators is whether they can move beyond the individuals who transported the explosives and identify those who planned and managed the operation, military and strategic affairs expert Mohammed Youssef al-Nour told Erem News.

The use of people without direct, formal ties to an armed group does not necessarily mean its leadership was uninvolved, al-Nour said. Instead, it may reflect a division of responsibilities between decision-makers and those tasked with logistical execution.

Sensitive military operations typically involve several stages, including issuing instructions, securing materials, determining transport routes and arranging delivery, he said. Identifying the people who carried the explosives therefore does not automatically reveal who authorized the operation.

The immediate priority is to cross-check communications, movements and timelines against the detainees’ statements and physical evidence, al-Nour said.

Although the use of aliases can complicate efforts to establish identities, it does not prevent investigators from tracing the network of relationships connected to the operation, he added.