NICOSIA — Lebanese sources said a Hizbullah weapons warehouse blew up in southern Lebanon on Sept. 3. They said three explosions, which took place in the southern village of Shahabiya, injured several people in and around the building.

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The latest explosion occurred in a building that was owned by Mohammed Saloum, a Beirut industrialist linked to Hizbullah. The structure was described as a three-story residential home located near a mosque and believed to contain rockets as well as other munitions.

"The Lebanese Army is probing the fire to determine the cause," Hizbullah, which denied reports of explosions, said.

The sources said Hizbullah kept outsiders 800 meters away from the damaged building. They said Hizbullah operatives were seen collecting debris from the site while others confiscated cameras of nearby Lebanese journalists. Later, Hizbullah was seen transporting munitions from the warehouse out of Shahabiya.

Lebanon's state-owned Central News Agency said the explosions could have stemmed from Hizbullah munitions tests. The report, which quoted a foreign security source, was later removed from the news agency's Web site.

Southern Lebanon has been struck by other explosions of Hizbullah arsenals, incidents blamed on Israel. This included the explosion of a Hizbullah weapons cache outside Khirbet Silim near the Israeli border and another in Tayer Felsay.

The sources said the spate of explosions could point to either sabotage or negligence. They said Hizbullah, wary of Israeli and UNIFIL surveillance, has failed to properly maintain its arsenal.

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