A fire broke out at a warehouse belonging to Lebanon's Ministry of Telecommunications in Beirut on Tuesday, sending flames and thick plumes of black smoke into the air, witnesses said.
The smell of burning plastic hung over the area as firefighters battled the blaze. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Lebanese Civil Defence said later that the fire had been brought under control and prevented from spreading to nearby buildings. Two firefighters were injured during the operation.
According to security sources, the warehouse contained fibre-optic cables.
The incident triggered speculation about possible involvement by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group that has recently used fibre-optic-guided drones in its conflict with Israel.
Among the theories circulating were that cables had been stolen and the fire deliberately set to conceal the theft. Some witnesses at the scene also suggested the possibility of theft or sabotage.
There was no evidence to support those claims, however, and authorities had not confirmed any link between the fire and criminal activity.
