The Lebanese army is investigating the cause of a deadly explosion at a Hezbollah weapons and missile depot in southern Lebanon that killed six soldiers and wounded several others, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported.

The blast ripped through the depot in Majdalzoun, in the Wadi Zebqine area, on Saturday as an army engineering unit was dismantling the cache. Judicial authorities have not yet opened a formal criminal investigation, pending the army’s preliminary findings on whether the incident was the result of a technical error or a deliberate act, according to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat.

A senior security source said all possibilities remain under consideration — including sabotage, though that is seen as less likely. Investigators are examining multiple potential causes, including extreme heat affecting an uncooled storage facility, poor storage methods, vibrations from recent Israeli shelling that may have destabilized the munitions, and a possible malfunction in one of the missiles during handling.

The source said the army’s intelligence branch could produce initial results within two days and stressed that the military is determined to establish the truth “without exploiting the tragic incident.” He added the blast should serve as a warning on how to deal with other weapons depots, urging greater precision by engineering experts and cooperation with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has relevant expertise.

The incident was the second fatal blast involving Hezbollah munitions in recent months. In an earlier case, three soldiers were killed when a missile exploded during transport by an army patrol. Saturday’s explosion, however, came at a politically charged moment, as it happened one day after the government had announced a timetable for disarming Hezbollah; a move the group has flatly rejected.

Military and security expert Brigadier General Saeed Al-Qozah said no hypothesis can be ruled out in the Majdalzoun explosion, citing the existence of “random weapons depots” belonging to armed groups. He said poor storage often leads to such accidents but did not dismiss the possibility the site had been booby-trapped by Hezbollah fighters before their withdrawal; a known military tactic to target opposing forces seizing the weapons.

Even if the army had inspected the site beforehand, he noted, hidden explosives could have triggered the blast. Al-Qozah added that Hezbollah munitions are often unsuitable for reuse, which is why the army destroys them; a practice also encouraged by the United States, which advises against transporting such weapons to army depots.