2024-09-17 15:21:50
Eight people, including two Hezbollah fighters, were killed after the pagers used by the Lebanese group to communicate exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday in the “biggest security breach” the outfit has been subjected to amid its fighting with Israel.
The wave of explosions that injured over 2,750 people, including Hezbollah fighters and the group’s medical personnel, lasted for about an hour after the initial blasts. Hezbollah said that two of its fighters and a girl were killed in the blasts and did not accuse Israel of being behind the incident.
The detonation of the pagers comes as Iran-backed Hezbollah has been involved in cross-border warfare with Israel since the Gaza war broke out on October 7 last year.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
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The pager explosions occurred in several areas in Lebanon, particularly the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, triggering panic among people, according to the country’s Internal Security Forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said eight people were killed and 2,750 others were injured in the blasts.
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The pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months, according to three security sources. It was not immediately known how the devices were detonated and the group said it would investigate the cause of the blasts.
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Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage of the incident showed a possible small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier while a person was paying, exploding. Another footage showed an explosion appearing to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand in a market area.
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Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in one of the explosions, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency. On the other hand, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) refused to comment on the incident, according to CNN. One of the fighters killed was the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, Reuters quoted two security sources as saying.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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