Lebanese Army neutralizes old explosive device in the Bekaa

BEKAA — The Lebanese Army said Tuesday it had defused and detonated an "old explosive device" during the previous night found concealed near the Lebanese-Syrian border in Kfar Zabad, in the Zahle district, after determining that transporting it was too dangerous. The device, which had an electric wire protruding from it, was discovered by security forces between Kfar Zabad and Ain Kfar Zabad, according to L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the Bekaa.

In a statement, the army said a specialized unit intervened overnight after receiving a report about the device. Soldiers defused it before detonating it at the site, as transporting it was considered “dangerous.” An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding its discovery.

The road where the device was found connects several villages in the eastern Zahle district, running from Kfar Zabad to Riyaq via Ain Kfar Zabad, Qousaya and Rait, in the central Bekaa, our correspondent detailed.

The discovery comes days after several hundred kilograms of explosives reportedly intended for Hezbollah were seized on Oct. 5 in Dahr al-Baidar.

On Monday, the Lebanese Army also announced that it had intercepted about 200 kilograms of explosive materials in the al-Qasr area of Hermel, near the Lebanese-Syrian border. According to the army, the explosives were packed in bags and transported on mules for smuggling from Syrian territory. A security source told L’Orient Today that the seizure was not connected to the one in Dahr al-Baidar.

Reporting contributed by Sara Abdallah