BEIRUT/BRUSSELS: Lebanon’s army said it seized explosives on Monday, after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed to deal firmly with illegal weapons, days after security forces seized a truck carrying materiel suspected of belonging to Hezbollah.

The army said soldiers in the northeastern Hermel region “seized around 200 kilogrammes (around 440 pounds) of explosive material packed in bags and ready for smuggling from Syrian territory” into Lebanon, adding that the smugglers fled back into Syria.

A judicial official said that the C4 explosives were being smuggled “on a mule through an illegal crossing in the town of Qasr”.

The announcement was the third of its kind this month, and came days after a judicial official said that authorities detained two suspected members of Hezbollah at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar as they headed to Beirut.

EU establishes training mission for Lebanese army

The official said they were transporting half a tonne of explosives — 250 kilogrammes of TNT and 250 kilogrammes of C4 — when they were stopped near a road linking Syria to the Lebanese capital. Salam on X confirmed that “it has become known that a few days ago a truck was stopped” in Dahr al-Baidar “carrying hundreds of kilogrammes of explosive materials” including C4.

“We will not be lenient in following up and expanding the investigation in order to identify all those involved in this criminal operation, and those behind them,” he said.

“We will deal with weapons outside the legal framework with the required firmness,” he added, whether regarding their possession, transportation or use. Salam also said that he understood “Lebanese worries” over the C4, particularly as it “has been used in a number of political assassinations” in Lebanon’s history.

Detonators

Earlier this month, Lebanon’s army said it had seized “approximately 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wiring for the detonators”, which were being “smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory”, adding that the smugglers fled towards Syria. Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometre (205-mile) border known for being porous.

Hezbollah until recently was the most influential political and military force in Lebanon, enjoying key support from Iran and longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. The group has been accused of carrying out assassinations of political figures who opposed Damascus, particularly between 2005 and 2008.

A UN-backed court in 2020 sentenced a fugitive Hezbollah member for the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri, with the court subsequently sentencing two more Hezbollah members in absentia.

Lebanese authorities last year committed to disarming Hezbollah, after hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in 2023 and culminated in all-out war the following year, decimating the group’s leadership.

The 2024 toppling of Assad also severed the group’s key weapons supply line from Iran, and Syria’s new authorities regularly say they have seized weapons headed for Lebanon. However, Hezbollah this year drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel, which responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion.

Training mission

The European Union on Monday established a mission to help train Lebanon’s cash-strapped armed forces as it struggles to assert control in the country. The move comes as the mandate for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon is set to expire — but the EU insists its mission is not a replacement.

“It will advise and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to strengthen territorial control, border security, and internal security,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “With this new mission — a major update of our security ties — we continue to support the country’s institutions in restoring full sovereignty and building lasting stability for the Lebanese people.” EU officials said the aim for the mission was to have up to 150 civilian and military staff.

Lebanon’s under-resourced military faces enormous challenges, including in completing its deployment to south Lebanon under a US-sponsored framework agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon in June.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026