The Lebanese army announced that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle about 245 kilograms of highly explosive TNT from Syrian territory into Lebanon, seizing four explosive devices, eight detonators, and electrical wires used with detonators.
The Lebanese Army Command said in a statement on Thursday, October 1, that the operation resulted from surveillance and monitoring carried out by its units along the northern and eastern borders. It said one army unit seized the materials while they were being smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanon.
According to the statement, the seized materials included about 245 kilograms of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators, and specialized electrical wires used with detonators.
The Army Command did not specify where the operation took place or the border point where the materials were seized. It also did not disclose the crossing or route the smugglers used to transport them from Syrian territory.
The army added that the smugglers fled toward Syrian territory as soon as the military patrol arrived at the site, preventing their arrest during the operation.
The army said it handed the seized materials over to the relevant authorities, and that follow-up and coordination efforts are continuing to identify those involved in the smuggling operation and work toward their arrest.
Smuggled Rockets Seized
The Lebanese army had announced in August that it seized 122-mm Grad rockets smuggled from Syrian territory during an operation carried out by a military unit in the highlands of Arsal.
In a statement published through its official channels on Tuesday, August 4, the army said the military force seized the rockets along with a pickup truck used to transport them. It also arrested two Lebanese nationals suspected of belonging to a smuggling network and carried out raids in search of the remaining members of the network, during which ammunition and military equipment were seized.
The army added that the seized items were handed over to the relevant authorities and that an investigation with the detainees had begun under judicial supervision, while efforts to pursue the remaining individuals involved continued.
At the same time that the Lebanese army announced the seizure of Grad rockets smuggled from Syrian territory in the highlands of Arsal, Syria’s Internal Security Forces had announced the previous day, Monday, August 3, that they had found several Grad rockets hidden in fields near the town of al-Hara in Daraa governorate, southern Syria, after receiving a report from a farmland owner.
The Internal Security Forces said their patrols headed to the site immediately after receiving the report, secured the rockets, and took the necessary measures to protect residents. They did not disclose further details about the source of the rockets or the party that had hidden them.