An unexploded missile in the main street of the Marj area in the town of Saksakieh, in Saida district. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — An unexploded missile was discovered in the main street of Saksakieh's Marj neighborhood on Friday. The missile was found lodged more than ten meters into the ground in the Saida district village and is significantly larger than any other unexploded ordinance found by the Lebanese Army so far.
It took two days of digging for the missile to be retrieved. It had entered through a ground-floor bedroom of the Shoumar family home and penetrated deep into the ground underneath the house when it was targeted during the war between Hezbollah and Israel that intensified on Sept. 23 and lasted until Nov. 27 when a cease-fire was announced.
Excavation began in the bedroom, where seven meters were dug to follow its trajectory. It was determined through the visible crater that the missile had moved towards the ground-level balcony. Further digging of ten meters in the balcony area revealed that the missile had shifted towards the main street. It was finally located in the street at a depth of ten meters under the supervision of the Lebanese Army’s Engineering Regiment, according to our correspondent.
The missile was safely transported in a specialized vehicle to Nabatieh and subsequently to a designated detonation field.
Reporting contributed by Muntasser Abdallah
