Alleged Hizbullah Arms Dept Blast: Weapons Factory?
An explosion at an arms cache in the southern village of Khirbit Silim on Tuesday has triggered controversy with some news reports saying the depot was a suspected Hizbullah weapons factory.
The daily An Nahar, citing information obtained by UNIFIL as well as reports from correspondents working in southern Lebanon, said a series of underground explosions began early on Tuesday morning at around 8 am followed by a period of calm, only a short while later a huge blast occurred, raising the possibility that the explosion site contains a weapons factory.
There were no official reports of casualties from the explosion on the outskirts of Khirbit Silim, an area considered to be a Hizbullah stronghold.
An Nahar, though, said there were reports of casualties among Hizbullah members.
Local media said the depot contained rockets, automatic weapons and ammunition belonging to Hizbullah.
"The blast occurred in an abandoned house in the village of Khirbit Silim," 20 kilometers from the border with Israel, a Lebanese army spokesman said.
An Nahar, however, quoted local residents as saying that the blast took place in a building that was previously used as a plastics factory before the site became "strictly prohibited."