Blast at Hizbollah site in Lebanon kills six soldiers

The Lebanese army said a blast at a weapons depot near the Israeli border killed six soldiers on Saturday, with a military source saying the troops were removing munitions from a Hizbollah facility.

- BEIRUT: Jonathan Sawaya

Under the truce that ended last year’s war between Israel and Hizbollah, Lebanese troops have been deploying in the country's south and dismantling the Iran-backed group's infrastructure in the region.

The deaths come after the Lebanese government decided this week to disarm Hezbollah and tasked the army with drawing up a plan to complete the process by year end.

Hizbollah has said it will ignore the cabinet’s decision, which came under heavy US pressure, while the group's backer Iran said Saturday it opposed the effort.