Explosion at Lebanese arms depot kills 6 army experts, wounds several others

BEIRUT — Munition in an arms depot in south Lebanon exploded Saturday as army experts were dismantling them, killing six of them and wounding several others, the army said.

The incident occurred on the edge of the southern village of Zibqin in Tyre province, the army said. It added that efforts were being made to determine the cause of the blast but gave no further details. The depot is believed to have been used by the militant group Hezbollah.

The blast took place south of the Litani River in an area where Hezbollah withdrew its fighters under the terms of a ceasefire that ended a 14-month conflict with Israel in November. Over the past months, Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers have been taking over Hezbollah posts in the area.

On Thursday, the Lebanese Cabinet voted in favor of a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah and implement a ceasefire with Israel. The Lebanese government asked the national army to prepare a plan in which only state institutions in the small nation will have weapons by the end of the year.

Hezbollah officials have said they will not disarm before Israel withdraws from five hills along the border and stops airstrikes that have killed more than 250 people since the ceasefire.

The government’s decision has angered Hezbollah and its supporters, who have been staging protests in areas where the Iran-backed group enjoys support.

The army warned in a statement Friday that it will not allow any attempts to endanger the country’s security. It warned protesters that it will not allow the closing of roads or attack private or public property.