a day ago
Jordan's King offers condolences to Aoun over death of six Lebanese soldiers in Wadi Zibqin
BEIRUT — Jordan's King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein called Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun Sunday afternoon to "offer his condolences over the martyrdom of six soldiers in the tragic incident that occurred yesterday in Wadi Zibqin, in the Sour district," the Lebanese Presidency said in a statement Sunday.
The army announced Saturday afternoon that the arms depot the soldiers were dismantling was located in the Zebqine valley, near Majdal Zoun (Sour), in south Lebanon. The deadly incident came shortly after the government approved the U.S.-backed roadmap aimed at establishing the state's monopoly on weapons — at the expense of Hezbollah's arsenal — and enforcing an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.
"During the call, the Jordanian monarch expressed Jordan's solidarity with Lebanon and its army, and conveyed his country's readiness to provide the necessary support to the Lebanese Army during this critical time, in order to enable it to fulfill its role in preserving Lebanon's stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," according to the statement.
"President Aoun thanked King Abdullah for his condolences and for the support that Jordan provides to Lebanon in general, and to the army in particular," the statement concluded.
The bodies of the six Lebanese soldiers killed Saturday in an explosion at an arms depot in south Lebanon were returned Sunday to their respective hometowns, where they were mourned and laid to rest
