BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said it has arrested five Syrians for possession of explosives, the latest incident fanning fears that Syria’s civil war is spilling across the border.
An army statement said the five were arrested in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh Saturday following a tip that they were involved in “suspicious security activity.” Army personnel seized 450 grams of explosives, a detonator, and ammunition for a 160 mm mortar with Hebrew writing on it, the statement said.
The arrest came on the eve of Ashoura, the annual Shiite commemoration of the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, marked by processions in Shiite towns including Nabatiyeh.
Lebanese media reports said the suspects planned to attack Shiites marking Ashoura Sunday. An army spokesman declined comment pending judicial investigations.