Numerous members of the Hezbollah militia were seriously injured when their pagers exploded. The incident could further escalate the already tense conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
According to security sources, hundreds of members of the Hezbollah militia were seriously injured when their pagers exploded. This was reported by several media outlets. According to the Reuters news agency, which cited security sources, more than 1,000 people were injured. Pagers are small communication devices that were once common and can be used to receive short messages.
According to information from Tehran, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was also injured. Iranian state television reported on Tuesday that Ambassador Mojtaba Amani himself told the station that he was fine despite his injury and that there was “no danger” to him.
According to the “Times of Israel”, which cites local media, Israel may have managed to hack into the pagers and make them explode. The AFP news agency also writes this. There has been no official statement from Israel so far.
Eyewitnesses reported panic in the streets of Beirut. Numerous ambulances were deployed. The Lebanese Ministry of Health called all hospitals to be on high alert.
Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Islamist Hamas almost a year ago, there have been almost daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in the border area between Israel and its northern neighbour Lebanon.
Since then, around 60,000 Israelis have had to leave their homes and apartments in many villages and the town of Kiriat Shmona in northern Israel. Many of those affected have been living in state-funded hotels in the country for months. In several towns in the Israeli border region, dozens of houses and infrastructure have been damaged.
The military has always been present in the area. Since the beginning of the fighting with Hezbollah, however, there have also been army checkpoints on roads used by civilians. There are now increasing signs that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could escalate into an open war. The return of refugee Israeli citizens to their homes in the north of the country is now one of Israel’s declared war aims – alongside the liberation of hostages from the Gaza Strip and the destruction of Hamas.
