A Lebanese Army van on fire in Breikeh, South Lebanon. Photo obtained by our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.
BEIRUT — Three Lebanese soldiers were killed and five civilians injured Sunday in an explosion of munitions being transported by an army engineering unit’s vehicle in Breikeh, in the Nabatieh region, according to the military and local officials.
The army said an officer and two soldiers were killed in the explosion and that a number of civilians were also wounded. The cause of the blast remains unclear. Army specialists have opened an investigation, the statement added.
The victims were identified as Lt. Jawdat Noura of Blat, Pvt. Mahmoud Zeitoun of Akkar al-Atika, and Pvt. Ali Ahmad of Harasta, near Zahleh, according to information provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent.
The five wounded civilians — including a child — were identified as Hadi Ali Moussa, Zeinab Ahmad Mahdi, Mira Adel Qassem, Samar Hussein Saad, and 10-year-old Ali Nidal Damen.
An AFP reporter in Breikeh, around 20 kilometers from the Israeli border, said several burned-out vehicles remained on the road and damage was visible in nearby apartments and storefronts. The area was cordoned off by the army. Lebanon’s Civil Defense said it extinguished four burning cars and transported the bodies of two victims.
Last week, the military announced the death of a soldier during a mine-clearing operation in the border village of Shamaa.
Leaders pay tribute
President Joseph Aoun praised the three soldiers as “martyrs who fell during their mission to protect security and stability, and while warding off threats to citizens and residents of the South.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam extended condolences by phone to Army Commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal, saluting those who “protect the country and its unity with their blood.” Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar also honored the soldiers “who fell in the line of duty, protecting the nation and ensuring its stability.”
The Lebanese Army continues to deploy thousands of troops south of the Litani River in line with the cease-fire agreement reached in late November. That deal calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces from the region and the dismantling of its military infrastructure.
The question of Hezbollah’s disarmament has become more prominent in recent weeks. On Friday, the group’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, reiterated that Hezbollah “will not allow anyone to disarm it,” though he said the party was willing to discuss a broader “national defense strategy” with the state.
Despite the cease-fire, Israeli forces continue near-daily strikes across southern Lebanon. Since the agreement took effect, at least 146 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire, including 71 civilians, according to U.N. figures and an independent tally.
