The attack has ratcheted up tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, interrupting an uneasy calm that had prevailed over the last three weeks.
Beirut: Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel after pagers used by its members exploded across Lebanon simultaneously, killing at least nine people and leaving almost 3,000 injured in a dramatic and unprecedented attack at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the blasts, which came just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by the Hamas attacks on October 7 to include its fight against Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon.
Lebanon's Health Minister, Firass Abiad, said the September 17 blasts killed a 10-year-old girl, among others. He told a press conference: "About 2,750 people were injured... more than 200 of them critically," with injuries mostly reported to the face, hands and stomach.
Hospitals across Lebanon were overwhelmed with an influx of patients, and a field hospital was set up in the southern city of Tyre to accommodate the wounded. The sound of ambulance sirens was constant in Lebanon's capital city more than three hours after the initial attack. Lebanon's Health Ministry put hospitals across the country on "maximum alert" and instructed citizens to distance themselves from wireless communication devices.
The apparent sabotage attack followed months of targeted assassinations by Israel against senior Hezbollah leaders and came as US officials try to de-escalate tensions between the two sides and remain concerned that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, could order a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The blasts appeared to exploit the low-tech pagers that Hezbollah has adopted in order to prevent the targeted assassinations of its members, who could be tracked by mobile phone signals. Those wounded in the attack include Iran's ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, according to reports.
It also ratcheted up tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, interrupting an uneasy calm which had prevailed over the last three weeks when both parties had appeared to step back from the brink of a regional war after a limited Hezbollah response in late August to Israel's assassination of its top military commander, Fuad Shukur, in Beirut. Hezbollah said two of its fighters were among the dead and threatened a "just punishment" for Israel. Later media reports said the son of the Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar also died in the explosions.
'Not aware in advance' & 'not involved': USThe US was "not involved" in the series of pager explosions in Lebanon and was "not aware" of any attack in advance, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. "The US was not aware of this incident in advance, and at this point, we're gathering information," Miller, who repeatedly referred to the matter as an "incident" not an "attack", said. He did not say what information the US has so far, and would not say whether the US assesses that Israel is responsible or not. Miller also did not say how the US views this attack affecting the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. |
