BEIRUT: At least five fighters from a pro-Syrian Palestinian militant group were killed in an accidental explosion at a base in eastern Lebanon, a Lebanese security source reported on Wednesday.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) accused Israel of conducting “overnight raids” at the base in Qusaya near the Syrian border, although Israel denied any involvement.
The tragic incident occurred when an old rocket exploded in an arms depot on the base, the security source revealed. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to address the media.
The PFLP-GC, based in Damascus and known for its close ties with the Syrian government and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, operates several bases in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley.
PFLP-GC Spokesman Confirms Blast
Anwar Raja, the PFLP-GC spokesman, confirmed the deaths of five fighters but stated that further details regarding the operation were not available at the moment. Meanwhile, the Israeli military spokesperson denied any Israeli involvement in the blast, emphasizing that it was not IDF activity.
This is not the first time Qusaya has experienced such incidents. Suspected Israeli strikes targeted the PFLP-GC in August 2019, and in July 2015, the group attributed a blast at their base to an Israeli strike, although a security official at the time reported seven people injured.
