Six Lebanese soldiers killed in Wadi Zibqin explosion, debate over militia weapons rekindled

BEIRUT — On Saturday evening, grief swept across Lebanon as six soldiers of the Lebanese Army were killed while performing their duty dismantling an arms depot, assumed to be linked to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in the Wadi Zibqin area of Tyre. The deadly blast, which stunned the public, has brought renewed urgency to the contentious debate over weapons outside state control and their impact on Lebanon’s national security. 

According to preliminary reports, the blast occurred at a Hezbollah facility in the Wadi Hassan area, between the towns of Jibbin and Majdal Zoun, during an army operation to dismantle the site and remove its stockpile of weapons, ammunition, and rockets. More than ten ambulances rushed to the scene, along with army units and Civil Defense teams, in an effort to rescue the wounded and extinguish the fire. 

In an official statement, the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) extended its deepest condolences to the army leadership and the families of the soldiers, stressing that their martyred blood “is a stain of shame on the forehead of all those who insist on keeping weapons outside the authority of the state.” The statement described the incident as “further proof that militia weapons pose the greatest threat to the unity and stability of the nation.” 

The USUP called for the “immediate and decisive” enforcement of state decisions to seize all weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, emphasizing that “there can be no security or stability in Lebanon as long as illegal weapons exist.” 

The incident comes amid rising political and security tensions in the country, along with mounting domestic and international pressure to place all armed forces under the authority of the Lebanese state. While Hezbollah defends its arsenal under the pretext of “resistance,” critics argue that these weapons have drawn Lebanon into confrontations and conflicts that undermine the national interest. 

The Lebanese Army has yet to release full details on the circumstances of the explosion, as the public awaits the findings of the official investigation to determine what caused the blast during the dismantling operation. What is certain, however, is that the funerals of the six killed soldiers will once again bring Lebanon face to face with its most pressing question: can the nation truly find stability while weapons remain divided between the state and the militias?