At least 32 people have been killed and over 3,250 injured following a series of explosions involving walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon. The blasts, which occurred over the past two days, have heightened fears of a potential escalation into full-scale conflict with Israel.
The first wave of explosions happened on Wednesday in Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut. The blasts resulted in at least 20 deaths and more than 450 injuries. Notably, one explosion occurred near a funeral organized by Hezbollah for victims from the previous day’s incident.
On Tuesday, a separate series of explosions involving thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah led to 12 deaths, including two children, and around 2,800 injuries. Hezbollah has attributed these explosions to Israeli actions, accusing Israel of “criminal aggression” and promising retaliation. However, Israel has not officially commented on the incidents.
Sources have suggested that Israeli spies may have remotely detonated explosives planted in a Hezbollah shipment of 5,000 pagers before they entered Lebanon. Hezbollah had resorted to using pagers and other low-tech communication devices to avoid Israeli surveillance of mobile phones.
In response to the attacks, Hezbollah claimed to have launched rockets at Israeli artillery positions. The Israeli military, however, reported no damage or casualties from these strikes.
The U.S. has issued a warning to all parties involved, urging against further escalation in the region. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, emphasized the need to avoid additional military operations.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the potential for a serious escalation in Lebanon due to the pager explosions. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss the situation on Friday.
The recent violence comes amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which have intensified following the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, when Hamas, a Hezbollah ally supported by Iran, launched attacks on Israeli towns.
