Four Israeli soldiers killed in accidental explosion in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Four Israeli soldiers who were killed in southern Lebanon were likely killed in an accidental detonation of explosives as they demolished a Hezbollah tunnel laden with weapons, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Monday.

The Israeli military said that four soldiers killed in combat, without providing further details.

Army Radio said that the incident happened on Sunday and that an initial review found that the detonation set off secondary explosions, leading to the collapse of the tunnel while the soldiers were in it.

Israeli authorities did not blame the explosion on Hezbollah or say it was a violation of the Nov. 26 ceasefire agreement, though the two sides have accused each other of other infractions over the past two weeks.

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah was held last month after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the U.S. and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in the Middle East wracked by two wars for over a year.

Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect, civilians head back to south Lebanon

After the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said: “I hope this will be a new page for Lebanon, I hope the coming days will lead to the election of a president.”

Lebanon’s parliament will meet on January 9 to elect a new president, seeking to end more than two years without a head of state.

“Speaker Nabih Berri called a parliament session to elect a president of the republic on January 9,” the official National News Agency reported.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022, with neither of the two main blocs — Hezbollah and its opponents — having the majority required to elect one, and unable to reach a consensus.