The municipality of Houla in southern Lebanon has accused the Israeli military of storing a large quantity of ammonium nitrate in a building near the town. According to the local authorities, the amount was about four metric tons, or roughly 8,800 pounds.
Houla is described as being inside an IDF-occupied buffer zone, making the claim especially sensitive amid the wider tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. The town says Israel bears direct responsibility for the presence of the explosives in the area.
Ammonium nitrate is a highly dangerous chemical that remains deeply associated with Lebanon because it was involved in the 2020 Beirut port explosion. That blast killed about 300 people and caused massive destruction in the capital, so any report involving the substance carries major public and political weight.
Based on the information available, the allegation centers on where the material was stored and who was responsible for placing it there. The accusation is likely to add to scrutiny of military activity in southern Lebanon and to fears over the risks posed by explosive materials near residential communities.
