Arms depot of Iran-backed Hezbollah explodes in south Lebanon
Security source said blast in arms depot was caused by a 'technical error'
Beirut: An arms depot of the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah exploded in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, a security source said, injuring several people and sending a new shockwave across a nation grappling with a deep crisis.
The security source said the blast in the arms depot was caused by a "technical error".
The blast sent a huge column of black smoke into the sky and rocked the village of Ain Qana, in the south of the country, a political stronghold of the heavily armed and politically powerful group which has fought wars with neighbouring Israel.
Another security source said Hezbollah had set up a security cordon around the site of the blast, about 50 km south of Beirut.
The blast stirs new worries in Lebanon, a nation grappling with its worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war and still reeling from a devastating explosion at Beirut port that ripped through the capital, killing at least 190 people.
There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah.
Security sources said there were several injuries without giving figures.
A witness near the village said they felt the ground shake.
Footage from the area broadcast by Al Jadeed showed men walking over scorched ground littered with debris. Damage was shown in an adjacent house where the floor was covered in glass and what appeared to be a pool of blood.
At least one fire was still burning in the location, the footage showed.
Southern Lebanon is a political stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement.