An explosion in a building in southern Lebanon left one person dead and several injured. The building housing the local municipality of Banaafoul, near the port city of Sidon, was demolished in the blast, The Associated Press reported. The building also housed the Islamic Risala Scouting Association affiliated with the Lebanese Shiite Amal Movement. The dead man was identified as the son of the town’s mayor. The explosion also caused damage to parked cars and buildings in the vicinity.
Security officials said that there was diesel fuel stored in the building. Other unconfirmed reports said the building housed a weapons cache. Lebanese Army personnel were searching the rubble for clues and other casualties.
An explosion in December in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp in the port city of Tyre came from a suspected weapons depot belonging to the Hamas terror group.