A father and young recruits: Who were the six soldiers killed in south Lebanon

BEIRUT — Most were barely 22 years old, one was a father, another was supposed to celebrate his birthday on Sunday, six members of the Lebanese Army were killed Saturday in an explosion that occurred while dismantling weapons from a "depot" located in the Zebqine valley near Majdel Zoun (Sour,) in South Lebanon.

The Lebanese Army published on its X account a brief biography of the six victims, specifying that the date of the funerals would be announced later. Who were they?

Chief Warrant Officer Abbas Fawzi Salhab

Married and father of a child, Abbas Salhab was 43. The only non-commissioned officer among the victims, he was from Younine (Baalbeck-Hermel district). He had joined the army on March 16, 2006. Holder of several medals, he had received several commendations from the army's commanding general.

In a video shared on social media, a man identified as Salhab is seen remotely activating the explosion of munitions left behind by the Israeli army in a troop field and dedicating his act to his daughter, whom he says was afraid of Israeli strikes.

Private Ahmad Fadi Fadel

Originally from Ghobeyri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, he was 22. The young man had joined the army on Jan. 2, 2023.

Private Ibrahim Khalil Moustapha

He was supposed to celebrate his 22nd birthday this Sunday. Originally from Majdaloun in the Baalbeck district, he had joined the army on July 3, 2023.

Private Hadi Nasser el-Bayy

Originally from Sour, this 23-year-old young man joined the army on Aug. 8, 2023.

Private Mohammad Ali Choucair

Originally from Laylaki, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, he was also 22. He had joined the army on Nov. 1, 2024, in the midst of the Israeli army's expanded offensive against Hezbollah, and a few weeks before the cease-fire took effect.

Private Yamen Hallak

Originally from Qarha, in Akkar, he was 22 and had also joined on Nov. 1, 2024.

The deaths of the six soldiers triggered an outpouring of condolences and tributes to the army from the entire Lebanese political class, from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack. According to information from our correspondent in South Lebanon, two of the victims were part of the engineering unit.

Before announcing the identities of its soldiers, the army stated in a release that one of its units "was inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents" when the explosion occurred. It added that the provided toll is still preliminary and that an investigation is underway to determine the causes of the incident.

The text does not specify whether it was a Hezbollah depot, but the troops are currently tasked with dismantling all infrastructures south of the Litani River, in accordance with the cease-fire agreement. However, a military source who requested anonymity told AFP that the explosion occurred "inside a Hezbollah military infrastructure."

Since the start of the truce, the Lebanese Army has been conducting demining operations in areas bombed by Israel.