BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army Command announced the martyrdom of six members of a unit conducting field operations in the Majdal Zoun-Wadi Zebqin area in the Tyre district.

The Lebanese Army mourned the martyrs as follows: First class Abbas Fawzi Salhab; conscript Ahmed Fadi Fadel; conscript Ibrahim Khalil Mustafa; conscript Hadi Nasser Al-Bay; conscript Mohammad Ali Shaqir; and conscript Yamen Al-Hallaq.

The Army Command stated that “while an army unit was inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents in Wadi Zebqin, Tyre, an explosion occurred inside, resulting in the martyrdom of six soldiers and the injury of others.”

The statement indicated that the army is following up on the details of the incident to determine the cause. 

President Joseph Aoun made a phone call to Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal, who informed him of the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

Aoun expressed sorrow over the martyrdom of the soldiers and offered his condolences to their families and the army for their loss and wished a speedy recovery for the wounded.

For his part, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri extended his deepest condolences to the army and to the families of the martyrs.

He said, “I reiterate the destiny of this national institution, which unites the hopes and aspirations of the Lebanese, to preserve unity, security, and stability, and to uphold national sovereignty through sacrifice and devotion, offering more martyrs and wounded.”

Berri affirmed that “at this painful and bloody moment, we stand with the army and by its side, to enable it to fulfill its national duties, for which it has sworn an oath of loyalty and allegiance to perform, no matter the cost.”  

For his part, MP Ali Ammar, a member of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, offered his condolences to the Lebanese Army and the families of the martyrs who “watered the land of the South with their pure blood, mixed with the blood of the honorable resistance fighters.” 

He emphasized that the resistance will remain “in one trench” with the army.

Ammar noted that “it is the destiny of our people to sacrifice their most precious ones in defense of the homeland and to preserve Lebanon’s unity and stability.”

He maintained that the Lebanese Army has constituted “a safety valve for the nation through the sacrifices of its heroic soldiers,” and that, along with the resistance and the people, it has forged “the golden trilogy that confronted the Zionist enemy and its ambitions for our land, water, and wealth.”

Addressing the Lebanese Army, the MP said, “Your affliction is our affliction, and we will remain together in one trench in defense of Lebanon’s freedom, sovereignty, and independence, no matter how great the sacrifices.”

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army Command also warned against organizing “uncalculated actions,” stressing that it would not allow “any breach of security or infringement of civil peace.”

In a statement, the Army Command said that “in light of the exceptional challenges facing Lebanon at the present stage, particularly the continued Israeli aggression and violations of national sovereignty, in addition to the delicate security situation, calls have emerged from individuals on social media for protests and the dissemination of fabricated videos aimed at inciting tension among citizens.”

The Army Command warned “citizens against endangering the country’s security through uncalculated actions.”

While affirming its respect for “freedom of peaceful expression,” it emphasized that the Army “will not allow any breach of security or infringement of civil peace, the blocking of roads, or the encroachment on public and private property.”

It emphasized, “The need for citizens and all parties to act responsibly during this difficult period, and the importance of their unity and solidarity in order to overcome the dangers facing our country.”  

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of National Defense clarified that the defense minister’s circulating statements regarding coordination with the Israeli enemy to restrict the possession of weapons to the state are inaccurate, noting that what Major General Michel Menassa meant was “coordination to begin implementing the mechanism” in cooperation with the Supervisory Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

The Public Relations and Media Department of the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that “any talk of coordination with the Israeli enemy is pure fabrication and slander, and Major General Manasseh did not mention any coordination with the enemy, neither directly nor indirectly.”
It clarified that “what he meant by coordination to begin implementing the mechanism is exclusively between Lebanon and the member states of the five-member committee supervising the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.”

The statement added that “the talk about Lebanon receiving instructions from the Israeli enemy is a deliberate distortion of the facts of the short-televised dialogue and a malicious excerpt aimed at misleading public opinion during the early stages of implementing the government’s plan to restrict the possession of weapons to the Lebanese state.”