500 kg of explosives in Lebanon: the target could have been the IDF

Lebanese security forces arrested two Hezbollah members with 500 kg of powerful explosives. According to ISW, the cargo could have been used for attacks on the IDF. The arrests came amid news of the creation of a European military mission to support Lebanon.

Lebanese security forces arrested two Hezbollah members with 500 kilograms of powerful explosives. The arrest took place on October 9 on the Beirut-Damascus highway in the Dahr el-Baydar area. According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Hezbollah would likely have used such explosives to make improvised explosive devices for attacks on Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. On the same day, the Lebanese army intercepted a shipment of RPG launchers and 24 kg of explosives near the town of Qasr, on one of the main smuggling routes from Syria. The arrests came amid a statement by European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas about the creation on October 12 of a European military mission to support Lebanon for a period of three years. The first group will include at least 100 soldiers from France, Italy, and Spain, who will arrive in Beirut no later than December 25, 2026. Kallas noted that Lebanon must implement economic reforms and make progress in disarming Hezbollah. According to ISW, as long as the Lebanese army cannot or will not fully implement the tripartite framework agreement, the authorities will not be able to completely disarm Hezbollah.