Explosion Rocks Southern Lebanon
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:29 am
A poster depicting assassinated Hezbollah military commander Imad Moughniyeh and the late Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Soleimani is seen in the village of of Ain Qana, Lebanon, Sept. 22, 2020.
An explosion has rocked a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, according to news reports.
Gray smoke was spotted billowing over the village of Ain Qana, which is near the port of Sidon.
A Hezbollah official confirmed reports of the explosion with The Associated Press but declined to offer details. The number of casualties, if any, could not be confirmed. News agencies report the blast happened in an arms depot for Hezbollah.
Members of the militant group had reportedly cordoned off the area, which prevented journalists from entering.
According to AP, local television station Al-Jadeed broadcast footage showing damage to buildings.
There has been no official statement from Hezbollah.
The blast comes seven weeks after a massive explosion at the Beirut port killed nearly 200, injured 6,500 and damaged thousands of buildings in the capital. That explosion was caused by poorly stored ammonium nitrate. How the chemicals were ignited is still unknown.