Army Forms a Joint Committee With UNIFIL Over Khirbit Silim Explosion
A press communiqué issued by Lebanon”s military on Tuesday said that a joint committee has been formed by the Lebanese armed forces and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to investigate the explosion inside an abandoned building on the outskirts of Khirbit Silim in the Bint Jbeil region on the same morning.
"Following the explosion on the outskirts of Khirbit Silim, the military surrounded the location," the communiqué said.
An army spokesman told Agence France Presse (AFP), adding that no casualties were reported.
Local television reported the depot contained rockets, automatic weapons and ammunition belonging to the Shiite militant group.
"The blast occurred in an abandoned house in the village of Khirbit Silim," 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border with Israel, the spokesman said.
Along with much of south Lebanon, the village is considered to be Hizbullah country. The Lebanese army cordoned off the area and did not allow reporters access to the site.
"This weapons depot dates back to the July War," the army spokesman told AFP on condition of anonymity. "There was no one but Hizbullah in this area."
U.N. reports on the implementation of Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 34-day war in July and August 2006 between Hizbullah and Israel, regularly express concern over the continued presence of Hizbullah arms in south Lebanon.
The conflict began after Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid.
It destroyed much of Lebanon”s major infrastructure and killed close to 1,200 Lebanese, mainly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.
Hizbullah has refused to disarm although U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 reaffirms the need for militias in Lebanon to turn in their weapons. Hizbullah argues that its arsenal is needed to defend the country against Israel.
Lebanese soldiers deployed in south Lebanon in the wake of the 2006 war for the first time in 30 years.