Blast rocks Hizbullah site in south Lebanon

A military source said preliminary information showed that 'a Hizbullah centre containing munitions' was the source of the blast.

By AFP

2020-09-23

Lebanese soldiers deploy in Ain Qana after an explosion rocked a Hizbullah site in the southern village on September 22nd. [Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP]

An explosion rocked a Hizbullah site in a village in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (September 22nd), residents said, as a source close to the party claimed it was an accident.

A resident said the blast at a house serving as "a Hizbullah centre" on the outskirts of Ain Qana had shaken the village.

Members of the Iran-backed movement quickly cordoned off the area.

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) said damage was limited to cracks in walls and broken glass, without reporting casualties.

A Lebanese army vehicle patrols a street in Ain Qana after an explosion rocked a Hizbullah site in the southern village on September 22nd. The billboard bears a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. [Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP]

A military source said preliminary information showed that "a Hizbullah centre containing munitions" was the source of the explosion.

The Lebanese army said it deployed a force to the site and had "initiated an investigation into the causes".

Footage shared on social media showed a huge plume of dark grey smoke rising from the site of the explosion.

Hizbullah did not immediately comment on the blast, but the source close to the party said the site was "not an arms depot".

Local media carried "unofficial" reports from Hizbullah members that the blast was caused by mines and other munitions dating back to the 2006 war between the group and Israel that an NGO had collected in order to destroy.

Hizbullah, backed by Iran, is the only Lebanese non-state armed group not to have disarmed after the country's 1975-1990 civil war.