Seized explosives 'belong to resistance against Israel', Hezbollah MP says

A Hezbollah Member of Parliament has acknowledged that a 500-kilogram shipment of explosives seized last week by Lebanese authorities belonged to the group. "The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance" against Israel, lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said. He said Hezbollah also called for the immediate release of those arrested over the seizure. Fadlallah demanded the return of the shipment, seized on a road linking eastern Lebanon to Beirut, saying it constituted "capabilities" used by Hezbollah against Israel. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said the state will no longer tolerate any possession of "illegal weapons". A judicial source told AFP the explosives were seized from a vehicle that was carrying 250 kilograms of TNT and 250 kilograms of the explosive C-4. Salam has said authorities will "identify all individuals involved in this criminal operation and those who ordered it". He said Lebanese people would be concerned by the seizure, especially since C-4 has previously been used in political assassinations in Lebanon. Report by AFP