Hezbollah is in possession of chemical weapons since December 2008 which were provided by Iran and are stored in the Bekaa Valley in northeastern Lebanon, Hezbollah's heartland, and in the south near the Lebanese border with Israel, a report published by Kuwait's ‘Al-Seyasseh’ report claims quoting unnamed Western intelligence sources. According to the same sources, the suspected Hezbollah arms dump in the southern village of Khirbet Selim, which exploded blew on 14 July 2009, contained chemical arms.
At least three Hezbollah members died from chemical contamination caused by the explosion, the sources were quoted as saying. ‘Al-Seyasseh’ reports that UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon found traces of chemical residue in soil samples taken from the site. The UN force has so far made no comment.
Meanwhile, Lebanese media report that Tehran also offered to provide the official Lebanese military with a range of weapons, including anti-aircraft missile systems.
Amos Gilad, a senior advisor to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, said that Syria was losing influence over Hezbollah, and Iran’s influence on Hezbollah was now greater than that of Damascus. This had consequences for negotiations between Israel and Syria, Gilad said at a seminar in Herzliya.
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