UNIFIL announces dismantling of 4 tons of explosives in southern Lebanon

Beirut, July 28 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced on Tuesday the dismantling and safe disposal of 4,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate near the town of Hulayil in southern Lebanon. In a statement, UNIFIL said that its soldiers discovered 385 abandoned containers containing the explosive substance ammonium nitrate during routine inspections. UNIFIL’s explosive ordnance disposal specialists carried out “precise field operations to safely neutralize” the material. The statement added that another patrol found remnants of a drone containing explosive components near a UN site, noting that the team inspected and neutralized the threat on-site without any incidents. The statement quoted the head of the UNIFIL mission and its Force Commander, Major General Dioufati Abaniara, emphasizing that mitigating the risks posed by explosive materials is “of paramount importance” to ensure that peacekeepers can carry out their mandates and to enhance long-term stability in the region. These field developments come within the framework of the executive understandings of the Framework Agreement, signed under US sponsorship to end military confrontations, with the Special Coordination Group for Lebanon directly coordinating between the parties to ensure Israel’s gradual withdrawal and the extension of Lebanese state sovereignty through the deployment of the Lebanese army in the southern areas. (End) F.Z. / M.A. H.A.