At least nine people were killed, and approximately 2,750 others were wounded on Tuesday when handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon, the country’s health minister, Firass Abiad, has confirmed.
Among the dead was an eight-year-old girl, with over 200 individuals critically injured, suffering from wounds mostly to the face, hands, and stomach. The explosions have been described as one of the most significant security breaches Lebanon has seen in nearly a year.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been engaged in frequent cross-border skirmishes with Israel, accused Israel of orchestrating the deadly pager detonations. Hezbollah vowed that Israel would receive “its fair punishment” for the attacks, although the Israeli military has yet to comment on the incident, reported Reuters.
The explosions occurred in Hezbollah strongholds, including southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the eastern Bekaa Valley. The group confirmed the deaths of two of its fighters and stated that an investigation into the incident was ongoing. Hezbollah members, including sons of top officials, were among those injured.
The explosions caused widespread panic across Lebanon, with ambulances seen racing through the streets of Hezbollah-controlled areas.
In a statement, Hezbollah said the pagers, often used by its fighters to avoid Israeli tracking, were targeted. Hezbollah has used low-tech devices such as pagers to stay off Israel’s surveillance radar, reported Al Jazeera. Two sources familiar with the group’s operations revealed earlier this year that the pagers were part of efforts to limit Israeli intelligence tracking.
Adding to the complex diplomatic tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among the injured, sustaining what were described as superficial injuries.
The Lebanese government has condemned the attacks, with Information Minister Ziad Makary calling the incident an “Israeli aggression” aimed at destabilizing the nation. However, Israeli officials have remained silent on the blasts, with a military spokesperson only noting that Israel’s chief of staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, held an emergency meeting with senior officers to assess the situation.
This incident exacerbates an already tense and violent year between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah has suffered significant losses, including more than 400 fighters in Israeli strikes, with their top commander, Fuad Shukr, killed in July. On the same day as the pager explosions, two Hezbollah fighters were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.
Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel remain high, with Hezbollah stating that only an end to the war in Gaza will stop the cross-border violence that has impacted the region for almost a year.
Comments (0)