Information provided to IMRA on a background basis
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 20:40

Third Explosion at Hezbollah Weapons Storage Facility in Southern Lebanon

Earlier today, at around 12:45, an explosion occurred at a known Hezbollah
weapons storage facility in Southern Lebanon. This is the third explosion of
its kind just this year. Several people were injured in the explosion,
possibly members of the Salum family (known to be linked to Hezbollah),
which owns the building. The facility is located in a three-story building,
several hundred meters away from a mosque.

The building is a luxurious villa owned by a Hezbollah terrorist in one of
the neighborhoods of Al- Shahabiya. This emphasizes the use made by
Hezbollah of civlians to hide its activity in Southern Lebanon,
contradciting UN resolution 1701. The building was known to the IDF as a
weapons storage facility.

After the explosion, several trucks and transport vehicles were seen
evacuating weapons. Hezbollah militants prevented the arrival of UNIFIL and
Lebanese Army Forces to the scene, until the evacuation has ended. The
weapons were transferred to other Hezbollah centers in nearby villages.

It should also be noted that following violent clashes between UNIFIL and
Hezbollah militants at the end of June, both sides have agreed on
limitations regarding UNIFIL activity inside the villages and in certain
areas.

The weapons storage facility that exploded today is located in the heart of
Hezbollah's operational apparatus in a wealthy Shiite area controlled by the
organization. The building adjacent to the facility (from the south-west
side) was used as a Hezbollah headquarters building up until the Second
Lebanon War, during which it was destroyed.

During the past year, several similar incidents of weapon explosions in
South Lebanon took place (some of them haven't been published yet). This
increase may be attributed to the low maintenance level of the weaponry in
private homes. It should be emphasized that these buildings are located near
civilian houses and other public areas (schools, mosques, hospitals etc).