The electronic newspaper "Al-Anbaa" reports: The explosion in Bnifoul has overshadowed routine events and ongoing crises that typically linger for days before new crises emerge. Lebanese citizens woke up to the news of an explosion that shook the city of Sidon, resulting in the death of a young man named Ali Al-Raz, in addition to injuring seven others. This incident also caused the destruction of a civil defense center affiliated with the Islamic Scout Association, as well as the floor designated for the Bnifoul municipality.
Accounts suggest that an electrical short circuit led to the explosion of oxygen canisters stored in the location, originally from the COVID-19 pandemic period. However, the substantial magnitude of the explosion, the total destruction of the building, and significant damage in the vicinity have raised questions regarding the true causes of the explosion and the circulating narrative, especially since this is not the first explosion to occur in the south, and information remains classified.
In the political realm, the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, Walid Bukhari, continued to receive congratulations for his return and for the restoration of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and the Kingdom to their previous level, which is seen as a doorway to restoring balance within internal dynamics and reviving the economy. However, this will only happen after Lebanon adheres to a set of conditions, including the prevention of exporting terrorism and drugs to Gulf countries. Bukhari is expected to meet with the three presidents as well.
Economically, the distribution of bread to shops has stopped due to a shortage of flour following the failure of the Banque du Liban to open new lines of credit for imports, leading to a scarcity faced by the Lebanese. Bakeries have seen queues of people eager to buy bread. However, a deal was struck in the evening to secure a sum of $15 million from Lebanon's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund, which is expected to temporarily alleviate the crisis. Still, the solution remains localized, and the crisis is expected to resurface soon as the allocated amount runs out.
Returning to the Bnifoul explosion, there are fears that a series of security incidents might begin, aimed at disrupting the elections. This concern was hinted at by the head of the "Sayed al-Jabal" meeting, Fares Said, in a tweet where he stated, "Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah spoke about those who want to 'fabricate events' leading to the postponement of elections, and hours after his statement, a building exploded near Sidon…. Fasten your seatbelts."
In an interview with "Al-Anbaa," Said noted that "what caught attention was the explosion occurring just hours after Nasrallah's remarks and his warning of events that could lead to the elections being disrupted, a suspicious coincidence." Despite his concern over security incidents, he emphasized the necessity of holding elections on schedule, arguing that "postponement for internal reasons is unconvincing; rather, the matter is linked to the Vienna negotiations and the nuclear deal, and in the case of a stalemate, Iran could exploit the instability to disrupt elections in Lebanon and achieve political objectives."
Said concluded by indicating that "there is only one party capable of undermining the elections or ensuring their conduct, which is Hezbollah. The remaining parties are unable to do so even if they wanted to, and so far, the party wants the elections to take place, but changes may occur in line with external developments."
Retired Brigadier General Nagy Maleb, the editor of the "Arab Defense and Security" site, noted that "the reasons behind the explosion remain unclear, but it is peculiar to observe some local forces, particularly in southern areas, cordoning off the scene and preventing journalists and security forces, including the army, from accessing it. The goal seems to be an attempt to tamper with the crime scene—not to distort it but to ensure that there is nothing that could compromise their interests, such as documents or weapons, which occurred when party elements enforced a cordon around the area immediately following the explosion."
In this context, it is noted that an altercation occurred between party members at the site and Lebanese army personnel, as journalists were prevented from taking photographs for a time under the threat of confiscating their cameras.
In a conversation with "Al-Anbaa," Maleb mentioned that "the army's mission today does not stop at uncovering the site of the explosion and investigating the remnants of the explosive materials to determine their nature, but it extends to investigating the presence of the young men who were injured at the site, the nature of their work, and the reasons for their presence late at night in that center, to uncover additional results."
He pointed out that "the forces present in the south are accustomed to storing weapons and missiles in populated areas, and previous explosions have proven this. However, the rampant spread of weapons is alarming, regardless of the nature of the materials that exploded the previous evening." He noted that "the Israeli enemy will leverage these events to claim internationally that there are weapons in Lebanon among civilians," calling for the establishment of "a unified national strategy and national security to place weapons in the hands of authority and security agencies."
