Citizens Dispose of Civil War Munitions to Store Fuel in Lebanon

Lebanon’s port of Beirut after an August explosion in 2020, AFP
Lebanon’s port of Beirut after an August explosion in 2020, AFP
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Citizens Dispose of Civil War Munitions to Store Fuel in Lebanon

Lebanon’s port of Beirut after an August explosion in 2020, AFP
Lebanon’s port of Beirut after an August explosion in 2020, AFP

Over the last few weeks, security forces in Lebanon have been finding and clearing explosives disposed of on the streets across various districts of the Levantine country.

The manner in which the incendiaries were tossed raised many speculations as the country passes through economic and social turbulence.

Despite suspicions, a military source who requested anonymity said that the phenomenon was not intended as a security threat but rather done out of personal “safety concerns.”

According to the source, citizens who are stockpiling oil by-products in their homes and neighborhoods as they brace for heavier shortages of derivatives at gas stations are afraid that the devices would pose a danger to their lives.

So far, the discarding does not constitute any security threat, especially that the discovered explosives were not intended for detonation and were old and kept by their owners from the days of the Lebanese Civil War, they explained.

According to the source, the mass disposal of bombs, shells, and mines is very natural. The devices were present at the homes of civilians because many Lebanese citizens were involved in armed factions during the 25 years of war in the 70s and 90s.

In light of the fuel crisis that Lebanon is experiencing, these munitions have turned into a burden on their owners, the source clarified, adding that the devices pose a severe threat when stored near diesel and gasoline in residential neighborhoods.

The incendiaries even pose a threat when stored in basements and underground building stories.

Any spark or fire threatens to spell total disaster for those storing the munitions and those around. That is why many are throwing out explosives on the streets.

It is even believed that those getting rid of the explosives are the same callers tipping security forces about their location.

It is noteworthy that, two days ago, Lebanese security forces found old-fashioned rocket-propelled grenades in a garbage dump in the Verdun area in the capital, Beirut.



Separate Israeli Drone Strikes Kill 4 People in Lebanon

Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
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Separate Israeli Drone Strikes Kill 4 People in Lebanon

Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)
Forensic experts and firefighters work around the wreckage of a vehicle at the site of an Israeli drone attack in Araya, east of Beirut, on November 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Fadel ITANI / AFP)

An Israeli drone strike on Thursday hit a car at an army checkpoint in the southern port city of Sidon, killing three people and wounding several others, including Lebanese soldiers and UN peacekeepers, Lebanon’s state news agency and the army said.

The Lebanese army said in a communique that three soldiers and four Malaysian peacekeepers were injured.

The National News Agency said one of the wounded was taken to the hospital while the peacekeepers were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the attack at the northern entrance of Sidon, Lebanon’s third-largest city. There was no immediate information on the identities of those who died.

The convoy of peacekeepers happened to be driving nearby when the airstrike occurred, according to the report.

A drone strike earlier Thursday hit a car on a main highway just outside Beirut, killing one woman, according to local media.

The attack took place near Araya, where several similar drone strikes have taken place in the past week.