Explosions Hit Lebanon and Syria

Pager blasts across Lebanon and parts of Syria, believed to have been caused by Israel, killed at least 12 people, including a 10-year-old girl, as well as members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and injured around 2,800.

About 200 people suffered serious injuries to their eyes, hands, face, and stomach when they used pagers close to their bodies.

Incident Aftermath

Following the incident, the Lebanese government asked citizens to abandon their pagers and hospitals to remain on high alert.

CNN reported that 24 doctors and nurses from the Iranian Red Crescent Society, which has supported Hezbollah, also arrived in Lebanon.

Explosions Caught on Camera

A video being posted on social media shows a pager in a man’s bag detonating while picking fruit at a supermarket in the Lebanese capital Beirut, causing the man to fall to the floor at 3:30 a.m.

Witness Accounts

“It was like a zombie city,” said a witness outside a university medical center in the Lebanese capital Beirut, with injured people scattered in the streets and injured friends being rushed to various Lebanese hospitals for treatment, leaving hospitals overflowing with patients.

Investigation and Response

Reuters, citing an unnamed Lebanese intelligence official, said the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad planted explosive devices in about 5,000 Taiwanese-made pagers a few months ago.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it, and the United States says it is not involved.

Hezbollah is vowing to retaliate against Israel, saying it will be “justly punished”, raising fears of an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Use of Pagers by Hezbollah

The New York Times (NYT) of the United States stated, “High-ranking members of Hezbollah have been using pagers instead of cell phones for the past several years,” adding, “Recently, there has been a significant increase in numbers. Ordinary members also use pagers to communicate.”

The Times of Israel reported that the 10-year-old girl who died was standing next to her father when his pager exploded.

US Response

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said it was “too early” to tell what effect the Gaza ceasefire talks would have.

He told the briefing that the US was not involved and did not know who was responsible.

Israel’s Response

Israel has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, after the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and other security officials met at the Defense Ministry’s headquarters at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, The Times of Israel reported.