{
  "id": 13966675,
  "title": "Lebanon's dark history of assassinations raised after half tonne of explosives seized",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/lebanons-dark-history-of-assassinations-raised-after-half-tonne-of-13966675",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T13:09:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/12/lebanons-dark-history-of-assassinations-raised-after-half-tonne-of-explosives-seized/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lebanon's history of political assassinations resurfaced after security forces seized half a tonne of explosives. The discovery, the second in recent weeks, has caused outrage in the country, where the use of explosives in political killings has been a grim reality. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed there would be \"no leniency\" in the investigation, warning that those who interfere with the country's security will be held accountable.\n\nThe explosives, comprising 250kg of TNT-type and 250kg of C4, were found in a lorry heading to Beirut, stopped at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint in the Bekaa Valley. Two individuals were detained and the explosives were handed over to the army, with the investigation now under a military court's jurisdiction. A senior security source stated that the package contained nails and ball bearings, adding to the concern after a similar-sized package of TNT was intercepted near the Syrian border two weeks prior.\n\nPrime Minister Salam acknowledged the anxiety among Lebanese people, noting that C4 has been employed in several infamous political assassinations in Lebanon's recent history. The 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and 20 others by a one-tonne lorry bomb is one such instance. The UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted Hezbollah members of that attack.\n\nSome Lebanese are already attributing the explosives seizure to Hezbollah, though officials insist the investigation is ongoing. An official from the Iran-backed political party and armed group did not comment on the matter. Prime Minister Salam assured the public that the government will persist in pursuing the investigation, identifying every individual involved, uncovering their plans and objectives, and bringing them to justice.\n\nHezbollah faces intense pressure domestically and internationally to disarm. The government banned its military wing earlier this year following Hezbollah's rocket attack on Israel, and the government aims to bring all weapons under state control, as pressured by the US and Israel. The explosives seizure has stirred memories of Lebanon's past political violence, with journalist and former government minister May Chidiac recalling her own assassination attempt in 2005, which involved a combination of C4 and TNT.",
  "summary": "The seizure of half a tonne of explosives by Lebanese security forces – the second such incident in a matter of weeks – has sparked uproar in Lebanon , where the country's grim history of political assassinations has risen to the fore again. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday that there would be “no leniency” in the investigation and that the government “will not tolerate anyone who dares…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Lebanon's dark history of assassinations raised after half tonne of explosives seized",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/lebanons-dark-history-of-assassinations-raised-after-half-tonne-of",
        "published": "2026-10-12T13:09:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}