'Beirut Disaster' Lebanon, This Time Gas Warehouse Explosion Injures 10

Area Near Syrian Border... "Warehouse Owned by Lebanese Family"
Tensions Rise Amid 1st Anniversary of General Qasem Soleimani's Death

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A gas warehouse explosion occurred in Lebanon, which experienced the 'Beirut Port Massive Explosion Disaster.' The explosion happened on the day marking the first anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, further escalating tensions in the Middle East region.

According to AFP and other sources, at least 10 people were injured in an explosion at a gas storage warehouse in the Hermel area of northeastern Lebanon on the 3rd (local time). The Lebanese Red Cross stated, "We have organized a total of three teams to respond to the accident," and explained, "Rescue teams were urgently dispatched to the Al Qasar village in Hermel, and the injured were quickly transported to nearby hospitals."

On the same day, the Lebanese army told AFP, "The explosion was caused by gas cylinders stored in the warehouse," and "The warehouse is owned by a Lebanese civilian family." Hermel is known as a route where smugglers transport various contraband across the border into Syria. However, it did not disclose whether the explosion occurred during fuel smuggling.

A large banner honoring Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, is displayed on the highway leading to Beirut Airport in Lebanon.
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

This accident occurred five months after the disaster on August 4 last year, when about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored by authorities for years at the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, killing about 190 people and injuring over 6,000. At that time, Lebanese citizens criticized the authorities for poor accident handling and negligent management of flammable materials, causing public outrage.

This incident drew extraordinary attention as it occurred on the first anniversary of Commander Soleimani's death. General Soleimani was a figure who supported pro-Iranian militias in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, and was killed on January 3 last year in Baghdad, Iraq, by a drone strike from a U.S. special forces unit. At the time of the explosion, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's Shia armed faction Hezbollah, was delivering a memorial speech for Soleimani's first death anniversary.

The fallout from this accident extended to Israel. Al Jazeera reported, "During Nasrallah's speech, Israeli jets were flying low over Lebanese airspace," and claimed, "Confusion over the cause of the explosion increased due to Israeli fighter jets violating Lebanese airspace."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.