Explosion in South Lebanon: Hezbollah Arms Blow Up

A large explosion rocked the town of Ain Qana in southern Lebanon Tuesday. Several reports said that weapons stored at a Hezbollah depot exploded, wiping out a house in the area.

Hezbollah initially denied any connection to the incident, and later said that old munitions unrelated to the group blew up without causing injuries. However, other sources reported fatalities in the explosion.

Images from the site showed what appeared to be underground facilities at the blast location.

According to some reports, security forces belonging to Hezbollah cordoned off the site. Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities were tight-lipped in the immediate aftermath of the blast and provided little information.

Hezbollah-affiliated media were initially quiet but later dismissed reports about an arms depot exploding. Pro-Hezbollah sources later started to hint on social media that an Israeli airstrike caused the blast.

IDF aircraft were active over South Lebanon earlier in the day, but not at the time of the explosion. Following the incident, local residents reported Israeli drones or jets in Lebanese airspace.