Lebanon: Landmine explosion in south kills one July 2

Event

The National Agency of information reports that a landmine explosion that occurred on Sunday night, July 2, in the southern Bint Jbeil district resulted in one fatality. The mine is likely part of the many explosive devices planted by Israel during previous conflicts with Lebanon and not an attack.

Context

Mines were planted in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war from 1975 to 1991 (with periods under Israeli occupation), as well as during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 in southern Lebanon. Additionally, in 2013, Syria was also accused of placing landmines along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

The Mines Advisory Group, a British NGO, estimated that leftover landmines in Lebanon killed approximately 933 people and injured more than 2780 between 1975 and 2012. The Lebanese Mine Action Center, under the Lebanese Army, claims that Israel left around 550,000 mines planted in southern Lebanon when it withdrew from the country in May 2000.

Lebanese ministers have called on the United Nations Security Council to press Israel to share maps detailing the mines it planted during its various aggression in the country's south, as the exact locations of the mines remain unknown to the Lebanese government.

Advice

Individuals present in the region are advised to maintain a safe distance from the Lebanese-Israeli border due to the risk of terrorist activity, the presence of organized crime, and potential for small-arms or rocket cross-border incidents and mines; the US government restricts all personnel in Israel from traveling within 2.4 km (1.5 mi) of the border with Lebanon for these reasons.

Due to the threat of terrorism more generally, some Western governments advise their nationals against travel to the city of Tripoli, as well as Beirut's southern districts, southern Lebanon, and the country's eastern regions (including Baalbek, Hermel, Majdel, and Rachaiya).