📰 6 sources 9 articles · 19 Oct 2026, 20:19 → 24 days ago

Dahr el-Baidar explosives case: identities of 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar' identified and summons issued for two Hezbollah officials

This story concerns a shipment of explosives seized by Lebanese security agencies on 8 October while being transported from eastern Lebanon toward Beirut, which Hezbollah later acknowledged was its own. Lebanese Army intelligence identified two individuals known as 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar' based on detainees' confessions, after which Government Commissioner at the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem issued summons for them, amid conflicting reports over whether the summons were issued.

📍 Where things stand: The summons for 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar' were announced according to a judicial source cited by AFP, while other judicial sources denied they were issued; neither man has been arrested yet.

⏱️ Timeline

19 Oct 2026, 20:19 MTV reported that Lebanese Army intelligence identified two individuals known as 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar', after detainees from Hezbollah confessed that 'Sajed' gave them the explosives to deliver to 'Zulfiqar' in Beirut. Neither man had been arrested yet, and the 11 Internal Security Forces members of the Dahr el-Baidar group were found not to be involved.
20 Oct 2026, 14:12 Government Commissioner at the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem issued two summons against 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar' after verifying their full identities, according to Lebanon Debate and a judicial source. Security agencies had stopped on the 8th of this month a truck carrying 500 kilograms of highly explosive materials while it was being transported from eastern Lebanon toward Beirut, and Hezbollah later acknowledged that the explosives belonged to it.
20 Oct 2026, 16:59 Reports conflicted over the issuance of the two summons: AFP quoted a judicial source confirming that Judge Claude Ghanem issued the two summons, while other judicial sources denied they were issued, as Hezbollah continued to defend its ownership of the shipment and reject the accusations against it.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

⚠️ Sources disagree

Issuance of the two summons

Government Commissioner at the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem issued two summons against two Hezbollah officials according to France 24
Other judicial sources denied that the two summons were issued according to Euronews.com

Figures as each outlet reported them at the time. We do not judge which is correct; numbers often change as events develop.

How the sources covered it

MTV and Lebanon Debate focused on the judicial investigation track (identification and the issuing of the summons), while France 24 and Al Jazeera covered the summons along with the shipment details and the context of pressure on Hezbollah; Euronews highlighted the conflicting reports on whether the summons were issued, and Al Arabiya limited itself to a brief report from a judicial source.

MTV Lebanon It focused on Army intelligence identifying 'Sajed' and 'Zulfiqar' based on confessions by Hezbollah detainees, highlighted that the 11 Internal Security Forces members of the Dahr el-Baidar group were not involved, and attributed the information to 'MTV information'.
lebanon debate It focused on the judicial step, namely the two summons issued by Judge Claude Ghanem after the identities were verified, and in another report described the file as moving 'from suspicion to summons'.
France 24 It presented the news as the issuance of two summons against two Hezbollah officials, included the shipment details (500 kilograms, seized on the 8th of the month, moved from eastern Lebanon to Beirut) and the party's acknowledgment of ownership, within a context of growing pressure on the party.
Euronews.com It opened with the conflicting reports about the two summons, citing via AFP a judicial source confirming their issuance and other judicial sources denying it, and noted Hezbollah's defense of its ownership of the shipment and its rejection of the accusations.
العربية It limited itself to a brief report from a 'judicial source' that Lebanon issued two summons against two Hezbollah officials, without names or further details.
الجزيرة نت It reported the issuance of the two summons based on a judicial source, noted that preliminary investigations had fully identified the two officials, and provided background on the shipment (500 kilograms on the 8th of the month) and Hezbollah's acknowledgment of ownership.