A series of explosions on Friday ripped through a house rumored to be serving as an arms depot in south Lebanon, an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold, state media reported.
The state-run National News Agency said the blasts were in a three-story building that was being used as an arms warehouse on the outskirts of the town of Shehabiyeh, just south of the Litani River, an area under surveillance of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
But the agency later withdrew its report, saying only that a series of explosions had been heard in the area.
PHOTO: EPA
A Lebanese army spokesman confirmed that there had been three explosions in the house, but said the nature and cause of the blasts was still unclear.
UNIFIL said it had no information on the incident. A helicopter bearing the multi-national force’s blue logo was seen hovering briefly over the area before leaving.
“At this time all I’m able to tell you is that we are coordinating with the Lebanese army and we have sent patrols to the location,” UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh said.
Hezbollah (“The Party of God”) issued a statement saying there were no casualties in what it said was a fire, although it did not comment on the cause of the blaze.
“Hezbollah’s media relations denies that there have been casualties in the fire in Shehabiyeh as has been reported by media organizations,” the statement said.
“The army is currently conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” it said.
The fire was quickly put out as troops cordoned off the area, ambulances also arrived at the site.
Journalists were kept away from the scene by Hezbollah members in their party’s military garb and signature yellow berets.
A nearby resident, who asked not to be identified, said that the building had been rented out by the Shiite militant party.
An arms cache believed to belong to Hezbollah exploded last summer in an abandoned house in the southern village of Khirbet Selm, 20km from the Israeli border.
In October last year, a rocket exploded in a garage in Tayr Felsay, a village some 20km east of the southern coastal city of Tyre.
Tensions have been high in south Lebanon as Israel, which fought a devastating war with Hezbollah in 2006, has repeatedly accused the Shiite militant group of stockpiling weapons in residential areas.
UN reports on the implementation of Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 war, regularly express concern over the continued presence of arms in south Lebanon.
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