Lebanese authorities have expanded their investigation into an explosives shipment allegedly linked to Hezbollah, ordering the search for two people who failed to appear for questioning and subsequently went into hiding, a judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Investigators are also analyzing data extracted from phones belonging to detainees and others connected to the case, as efforts to question two Hezbollah officials previously summoned by the judiciary remain stalled. Hezbollah has refused to hand over wanted members and continues to demand that the state return the truck and its cargo of explosives.

Lebanon seeks two more suspects

Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the Military Court, issued orders to locate and investigate the wife of detainee Haitham Amhaz and the owner of the truck used to transport the explosives, the judicial source said.

Both had been summoned by the Lebanese Army’s Intelligence Directorate but failed to appear and went into hiding, according to the source.

Preliminary investigations have also helped authorities identify additional people suspected of involvement in the shipment, marking a new development in the case as investigators work to establish who was involved in transporting the explosives and what roles they may have played.

The latest measures add two people to the list of individuals sought by authorities. However, efforts to bring in two Hezbollah officials known as “Sajed” and “Zulfiqar” for questioning have yet to succeed.

Hezbollah refuses to hand over wanted members

Despite the progress reported by investigators, Hezbollah continues to demand the return of the truck and its explosives cargo while refusing to allow wanted officials and members to appear for questioning.

The group has also hardened its stance toward the Lebanese State, declaring that it would consider any attempt to arrest one of its officials or members an “Israeli act of aggression.”

The preliminary investigation is continuing along two parallel tracks, led by Lebanese Army intelligence and the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch, the judicial source said.

The source stressed that the investigation would proceed regardless of whether the wanted individuals were handed over, adding that the legal procedures would continue to run their course.

Phone data offers new leads

Investigators are examining information extracted from the phones of detainees Ali al-Kurdi and Haitham Amhaz, as well as from Amhaz’s wife’s phone, the source said. The data has yielded information that authorities are verifying and cross-checking against other evidence gathered in the case.

No final conclusions have been reached, and investigators have not yet decided what further action may be warranted, the source added.

The analysis of phone records and communications has taken on added importance because authorities have been unable to question the individuals they are seeking.

Investigators are focusing on the content of the communications and the nature of the connections revealed by the extracted data, seeking to establish the extent of each person’s involvement in the shipment.

“Important information has undoubtedly emerged and is being examined to determine the responsibility of everyone connected in some way to this shipment,” the judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat.