tisdag 17 september 2024

Detonated the pagers

The pagers called before they exploded - at least 4,000 injured in Lebanon

A large number of people in Lebanon have been injured in connection with people's pagers exploding, several media reports.

The country's health ministry says at least 4,000 people have been injured across the country. For around 400 injured, the situation is serious. Eleven are dead.

Among the injured are several Hezbollah members and Iran's ambassador to the country.

The public is urged not to use wireless electronic devices, writes NBC News. According to the Financial Times, Hezbollah uses low-tech devices, such as pagers, to avoid surveillance.

TT writes that local media state that it is about 1,000 pagers that exploded over the course of just over an hour. Before the seekers exploded, they called and got warm.

Hezbollah claims that Israel is behind the explosions. Israel has not commented on the accusation.

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Reactions to the detonations
Analysis: Lebanon in shock – despite the habit of the unimaginable

Lebanon is a country in shock after thousands of people were injured after a flurry of pagers exploded on Tuesday, writes Carine Torbey who is the BBC's Beirut correspondent. In the Lebanese capital, ambulances rushed to overcrowded hospitals throughout the afternoon and evening.

"The attack is unprecedented in both scope and nature. It is extremely difficult to understand, even in a country that is used to unimaginable events," she writes.

Hezbollah blames Israel for the attack. The country has not commented on the incident, but SVT's former Middle East correspondent Stina Blomgren says that Israel updated its war plan on Monday and then decided that the focus should be directed from Gaza to Lebanon.

- They (Israel) have a history of high-tech crimes, she says in SVT's broadcast.

In Al Jazeera's broadcast, analyst Rich Outzen says the attack may have been carried out using malware in the pagers. He does not identify any possible actor behind the incident, but says that it:

"Indicates that something big will happen in the near future."

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US denies involvement - Hamas condemns

The US was not involved in today's explosions in Lebanon. This is what the spokesperson for the country's Ministry of Defense, Matthew Miller, says at a press conference.

- We did not know about this in advance and are gathering information about the incident right now, he says.

He adds that civilians are not legitimate targets and that the conflict should be resolved through diplomatic means.

The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas condemns the detonations in Lebanon. Like the Hezbollah militia, Hamas blames Israel for the detonated pagers.

Hamas calls the incident "part of the escalation in the region that will lead to Israel's downfall".

Israel has not commented on the incident.

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