Lethal blast incidents and numerous injured individuals following pager detonations in Lebanon
Across Lebanon, pagers suddenly blew up, claiming numerous lives and leaving countless injured. As per Health Minister Firas Abiad, eight people lost their lives, while over 2,750 were wounded. The surprising explosions occurred nationwide in the afternoon hours. Back then, pagers were compact telecommunication devices used for receiving quick messages. According to sources from Tehran, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also among the injured individuals. Despite his injury, the ambassador assured Iranian state television that he was doing fine and there was no imminent danger to his wellbeing.
The incident stirred up suspicion among Hezbollah's Shia militia, as they suspect Israel was responsible for the intrusion into their communication system. A nameless representative referred to it as the "greatest security mishap" since the beginning of their nearly year-long war with Israel. It is believed that most casualties were fighters from the militant group.
Bystanders in Beirut streets described the scene as chaotic, with ambulances rushing from one spot to another. Lured by the chaos, the Lebanese Health Ministry urged all nearby hospitals to prepare for an emergency. Social media was flooded with images and videos showing injured individuals and wasted pagers. Some of the victims were missing their fingers while others had severe wounds near their hips, where the small pagers were usually worn or stored.
The area along the Israeli-Lebanese border has been a hotspot for conflicts between the Israeli military and the Lebanese Hezbollah over the past year. In response to the Israeli military's support for the radical Islamic Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah has retaliated by firing at the Israeli military almost daily. Multiple fatalities have been reported on both sides, with most being members of Hezbollah. The bitter tensions have led to mass evacuations from the border area.
Speaking about the escalating tensions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a new aim of the ongoing war is to create a peaceful environment to persuade the fleeing residents to return to their homes.
The suspicion of a War with Israel intensified among Hezbollah's Shia militia, as they believed Israel was responsible for the communication system intrusion, calling it the "gravest security blunder" since their ongoing war with Israel. Consequently, several casualties were reported among their fighters, with many missing fingers or severe wounds near their hips where the pagers were commonly worn.
