On Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session via a pre-recorded video, claimed that Iran-backed Lebanon’s Hezbollah stored weapons near a gas company in the residential Beirut neighbourhood of Jnah, but Hezbollah denied the allegations.
Netanyahu warned that the Jnah neighbourhood’s depot was “where the next explosion could take place”, referring to the August blast at Beirut port that killed nearly 200 people.
The blast pushed Lebanon back into a deep economic crisis, which has led to a large number of people leaving the country over growing hopelessness.
Government officials had stated the reason for the massive blast to be highly explosive ammonium nitrate which detonated after being kept in poor storage for years.
Hezbollah has denied any involvement with the port blast.
In the video, Netanyahu said, “I say to the people of Jnah … You’ve got to protest this. Because if this thing explodes, it’s another tragedy.”
“Iran and Hezbollah have deliberately put you and your families in grave danger… You should tell them, tear these depots down.”
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, rebutted Netanyahu’s allegations stating that the Israeli Prime Minister was trying to provoke Lebanese against the Shi’ite movement.
Like every annual UNGA session, Netanyahu during his speech showcased a photo to illustrate his point. The photo displayed the entrance to a missile factory, taken on the ground in Beirut, suggesting an Israeli intelligence asset provided it.
Right after Netanyahu’s speech was telecasted, Hezbollah’s media centre took a large group of journalists on a tour of the residential street factory building which Netanyahu claimed has stored weapons.
In the building, there were machines used to cut metal and some gas cylinders.
Mohammad Rammal, who runs the factory said, “There’s not a speck of what Netanyahu said in this factory. This is a private factory that makes metal pieces, with laser cutting machines and such, that’s all,”
“These are lies, what more can I say?”, the factory owner further added.
Hezbollah and Israel have fought a month-long war in 2006.
On Tuesday, Iranian diplomat Mohammad Reza Sahraei in the UNGA called Netanyahu’s allegations as “baseless and unfounded.”
Whereas the Israeli military has urged the Lebanese government to intervene and has also reported the site, and others “numerous times, both to the U.N. and additional diplomatic networks, as well as via various media channels.”