Lebanon’s investigation into explosives seized from a truck in Dahr al-Baydar is nearing completion, with charges expected against suspects as Justice Minister Adel Nassar presses for the case to be referred to the Judicial Council.

Judge Claude Ghanem, the government commissioner to the Military Court, is expected to receive within hours the findings of investigations conducted by Lebanese Army Intelligence and the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch. He will review the evidence before determining the charges against those implicated in the case, a judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Despite reports of a third arrest, only two suspects remain in custody: A.K. and H.A., who were aboard the truck carrying the explosives. Investigators have identified five additional suspects, bringing the total number of people linked to the case to seven, the source said.

The suspects include a man known as “Sajed,” a Hezbollah security operative suspected of handing over the explosives in Baalbek, and another man known as “Zulfiqar,” who also holds a security role and was allegedly designated to receive the shipment in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The list also includes H.A.’s wife and the owner of the truck.

Investigators have established the suspects’ real identities, and warrants to bring in some of them, along with search notices, have been issued and are being executed, according to the judicial source.

Ghanem will examine the investigation records, confessions and available evidence to determine the criminal offenses applicable to each suspect before filing charges against those in custody and those still at large. Charges are expected on Thursday against suspects whose involvement has been established, the source said.

While proceedings are expected to continue before the Military Court, which has jurisdiction over such crimes, the government is still weighing whether to refer the case to the Judicial Council.

Nassar says case goes beyond explosives

Nassar has insisted that the case should be referred to the Judicial Council, arguing that its implications extend beyond the transportation and storage of explosives and pose a threat to national security and civil peace.

He stressed that his position did not reflect a lack of confidence in the investigators, particularly Ghanem.

“This is not simply a case of transporting explosives. It has broader implications that threaten national security and civil peace,” Nassar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

During the latest Cabinet meeting, the justice minister submitted a legal memorandum to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, arguing that receiving explosives of such a dangerous nature constituted a breach of national security. Their storage and transportation also placed Lebanese lives at risk, he said.

Nassar further argued that Hezbollah’s acknowledgment that it possessed the explosives and intended to use them to open a “new support front” amounted to an admission that the group was contributing to threats against Lebanon’s internal security.

The case has sharpened tensions between Lebanese officials who accuse Hezbollah of jeopardizing the country’s security through its domestic activities and repeated threats to open a new front against Israel.

Nassar said an armed organization with security and military capabilities acknowledging that it imports explosives for use in warfare outside state control represented a major threat to Lebanon’s internal national security.

For the justice minister, referring the case to the Judicial Council would reinforce the authority of State institutions and uphold the principle that decisions involving security and warfare must remain under state control.

He described that outcome as “a victory for legitimate authority over illegal weapons.”