Half a ton of explosives seized at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint; two suspects affiliated with Hezbollah arrested

⏱️ Timeline

1. 9 Oct 2026, 20:25 Lebanon's Internal Security Forces seized about 500 kilograms of highly explosive material inside a Dodge Caravan at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint in the Bekaa — 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of C4 — and arrested two men whom security sources said belong to Hezbollah, then handed the detainees and the seized material to the army's military police.
2. 10 Oct 2026, 14:04 Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar said in a post on X that the path of disarming illegal weapons, fighting terrorism and pursuing outlaws is "irreversible" and will accelerate, stressing that the investigation into the seized explosives and everything branching from it will be pursued to the end.
3. 10 Oct 2026, 17:42 A judicial source told Agence France-Presse that the Lebanese authorities arrested two men suspected of belonging to Hezbollah and seized explosive material in their possession, and that one of the detainees is the son of a Hezbollah official while the other also belongs to the party, without official confirmation from the Lebanese authorities.
4. 10 Oct 2026, 20:24 MTV reported that the quantity of explosives found inside a car driven by two Hezbollah members reached 800 kilograms, that the vehicle travelled from Baalbek to Beirut, and that the material used was C4, which is used in assassinations.
5. 10 Oct 2026, 20:38 Lebanese MP Fouad Makhzoumi said in a post on X that the seizure of large quantities of explosives at Dahr al-Baydar amid suspicions that the detainees are linked to Hezbollah is an extremely dangerous case that tolerates no negligence or cover-up, demanding that the government, security agencies and judiciary reveal the full truth, and saying he would submit a formal parliamentary question to the government.
6. 11 Oct 2026, 00:00 Further reports said the seized shipment contained nails and metal balls, that its destination was Beirut's southern suburbs for delivery to a person named "Zu al-Fiqar", and that the detainees admitted receiving orders to move the shipment from a Hezbollah commander named "Sajid" in Baalbek.
7. 11 Oct 2026, 07:31 Lebanese politicians issued successive positions: the head of the Change Movement party, Eli Mahfoud, called for prosecutions that reveal the entire network and end a system accustomed to acting outside state authority; MP Major General Ashraf Rifi called the case a real test of the state's authority and its institutions' credibility; MPs Razi al-Hajj, Sami Gemayel and Ziad al-Hawat called for immediately dismantling Hezbollah's security and military structure; and the National Liberal Party demanded lifting political cover from those involved and prosecuting them.
8. 11 Oct 2026, 08:27 The two detainees in the Dahr al-Baydar explosives case, Haitham Amhaz and Ali al-Kurdi, denied confessing that the shipment belonged to Hezbollah or that they were transporting it at its request, saying they were tasked with driving the car from the Bekaa to Beirut, parking it and handing it over for a sum of money, without knowing the identity of the person who tasked them or the party that was to receive it.
9. 11 Oct 2026, 16:53 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea described the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint incident as "the most dangerous in years", pointing to the presence of C4, usually used in assassinations, and saying the shipment was heading from the Bekaa to Beirut, which suggests it was prepared for use inside Lebanon, calling on the state to take a firm stance.
10. 13 Oct 2026, 00:45 A US State Department spokesperson commented on the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces' seizure of explosives being transported by Hezbollah, saying the party remains an obstacle to peace and calling on the Lebanese government to draw up a plan to disarm across all Lebanese territory.
11. 13 Oct 2026, 06:45 An official source stressed that the army and security forces are in a state of permanent alert and that there will be no negligence or "wrapping up" in the explosives case, noting that the investigations focus on two hypotheses: that the explosives were prepared for internal use, including carrying out assassinations and destabilising security, or that they were prepared for smuggling to another country.
12. 13 Oct 2026, 11:00 MP Fouad Makhzoumi called on the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to hold an urgent extraordinary cabinet session devoted to the security situation with the relevant security chiefs present, after the Lebanese army announced the seizure of about 200 additional kilograms of explosives on the Lebanese-Syrian border and following the Dahr al-Baydar seizure.
13. 13 Oct 2026, 22:19 Judicial officials cited by the Associated Press said the seized explosives shipment amounted to about 780 kilograms and was en route from the Bekaa region to Beirut, and that the investigation widened to include the Judicial Police, army intelligence and the Information Branch.
14. 13 Oct 2026, 23:58 A US State Department spokesperson stressed that Hezbollah's disarmament must precede any efforts to reconstruct Lebanon, noting that Washington is working with Gulf and European partners on a plan for billions of dollars in reconstruction aid led by the Lebanese government, and stressing daily contact with Lebanon and Israel on implementing the tripartite framework.
15. 14 Oct 2026, 05:18 A Lebanese army unit seized about 200 kilograms of explosive material in the Al-Qasr – Hermel area that was heading from the Bekaa to Beirut and belongs to Hezbollah; Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed there would be no leniency with those involved and linked the shipment's material to past assassinations, while Hezbollah MP Ibrahim al-Mousawi said the resistance is doing its duty.

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