LebanonWest Asia

Hezbollah dismisses Israel’s claim about blast

SheikhNaeemQassem

Hezbollah says a recent blast in southern Lebanon was caused by old shells, dismissing allegations that it was triggered by a secret arms cache belonging to the movement.

“There is no violation of Resolution 1701,” Hezbollah’s Deputy Leader Sheikh Naeem Qassem was quoted by Haaretz as saying on Wednesday. “What happened … is a normal incident that has to do with leftover shells that had been collected during and after Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.”

Last week, an explosion happened in a deserted building in Khirbet Silim in southern Lebanon. Israel and the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) attributed the blast to Hezbollah’s secret arms cache.

Israel also accused Iran and Syria of violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701– which ended the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war– through sending weapons to the movement.

Qaseem told the Qatari newspaper Al-Watan that Israel exaggerated the incident to deviate public opinion from its own violations.

Following the explosion, Israel stepped up its military presence on the border and deployed tanks and armored personnel carriers to the area.

Leave a Reply

Back to top button