UNIFIL: South Lebanon Explosions “Serious Violation” of Resolution 1701
The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon on Wednesday said that a series of blasts in south Lebanon was probably caused by stockpiled ammunition and marked a "serious violation" of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
The ammunition was likely stored in an abandoned house, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmine Bouziane told AFP.
No one was hurt in the explosions on Tuesday in the village of Khirbet Selm, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border with Israel.
"Preliminary info available… indicates that the sequence of explosions is likely to have been triggered by the deflagration of the ammunition present in the building," said Bouziane.
"UNIFIL considers this incident a serious violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, notably the provision that there should be no presence of unauthorized assets or weapons in the area of operations between the Litani River and the Blue Line," she added, referring to demarcations in south Lebanon.
"UNIFIL has informed U.N. headquarters of the incident and is keeping the parties informed."
Bouziane said the area had on Wednesday been "deemed secure and safe for specialized units."
An army spokesman said on Tuesday that the weapons cache dated from the Second Lebanon War in July and August, 2006.
"There was no one but Hizbullah in this area," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.