Blast in east Lebanon kills 5 in base controlled by Palestinian faction, Israel denies role

By ALBERT AJI
Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Two Palestinian officials say a blast at a military base has killed five militants of a Syria-backed Palestinian faction in eastern Lebanon and wounded 10 others. The faction said an Israeli airstrike was behind the explosion, but that account was disputed by an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, who denied the country had any role in the incident. The early Wednesday blast in a military base controlled by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command happened in the Lebanese eastern town of Qusaya near the border with Syria. A Lebanese military official said the explosion was the result of a blast within the base, adding that there was no airstrike.