Lebanese Army losses unexplained: South Lebanon blasts deepen mystery over munitions clearance

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi    

Over the past eight months, the Lebanese Army, working in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the international ceasefire mechanism, has taken control of more than 500 sites linked to Hezbollah, dismantled weapons, and transported munitions. 

Three separate explosions during these operations have killed or wounded soldiers, the latest occurring days ago in Wadi Zibqin.
 
On April 20, 2025, a blast along the Braikeh road in Nabatieh killed an officer and two soldiers when munitions being transported by an army vehicle detonated. Investigators have not reached a definitive conclusion on the cause, though early findings indicate the extreme sensitivity of handling such explosives.

In Wadi Aaziyyeh, another explosion killed one soldier and injured three during an army engineering sweep of a Hezbollah facility resembling the one recently hit in Zibqin. 

According to a previous army statement, the blast occurred when a soldier opened an ammunition box containing a suspicious object. Investigators have considered the possibility of a booby trap but have not determined whether it was planted by Hezbollah or by Israeli forces in the context of their ongoing conflict.

The booby-trap theory is also being examined in the Wadi Zibqin explosion, though it remains unclear whether it was planted earlier by Hezbollah to deter Israeli incursions, or by Israel itself during military operations or through security breaches. 

Final conclusions are pending a report from French military experts who inspected the site, as well as the recovery of an injured soldier who was with the unit when the blast occurred.

Notably, the only two facilities where such fatal explosions have occurred, in Aaziyyeh and Zibqin, are located close to each other. While sabotage remains a leading theory, investigators are not ruling out human or technical error until the probe is complete. 

The army also noted that in more than 500 previous dismantling missions, no booby-trapped munitions were found. UNIFIL, including its French contingent, has handed over similar sites to the army in the past without incident.