Multiple blasts have gone off in different parts of Lebanon killing at least nine people and injuring 300 others.
This came a day after simultaneous explosions of pagers used by Hezbollah’s members killed 12 people and wounded nearly 3,000, about 200 critically.
According to state media, walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members blew up in Beirut, with reports of similar blasts in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Lebanese Red Cross stated that it has responded with 30 ambulance teams to explosions “in different areas, including the South of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.”
In a post on X, the Lebanese Red Cross also said more teams are “on high alert and ready to intervene”.
Senior Hamas official, Izzat al-Rishq said that the Israeli government was responsible for the repercussions of “this continuous attack on Lebanon”, after communication devices used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon’s south and in Beirut’s suburbs.
Al-Rishq noted in a statement that the “assault” is a violation against Lebanon’s land, its leadership, and its people.
“The international community is legally obliged to put an end to Israel’s actions,” he added.
“We reiterate our utmost support for Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance, and the people of Lebanon,” al-Rishq said.
Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib warned that the “blatant assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security” on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, was a dangerous development that could “signal a wider war.”
Meanwhile, The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is “deeply alarmed” by reports that a large number of communication devices exploded across Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The UN chief’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement, “The Secretary-General urges all concerned actors to exercise maximum restraint to avert any further escalation.”
The statement also stated that Guterres urged the parties to “immediately return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability.”
Day 2 Of Attacks Likely Launched Before ‘Exposure’ Of Rigged Devices
Amir Oren, a military analyst with an Israeli newspaper noted that if Israel is responsible for the second day of device attacks, the blasts have likely been carried out before Hezbollah realized other systems had also been compromised.
The mass explosions on Tuesday reportedly targeted pagers used by the Lebanese group while blasts today occurred in phones, laptops and walkie-talkies.
“If Israel had done it yesterday, it really didn’t have any choice but to go on today because, otherwise, Hezbollah would have methodically looked into it and exposed it,” Oren told a news agency.
He highlighted news reports from outside Israel saying there was a “use it or lose it” situation involving the rigged devices because the attack plan was about to be revealed.
Oren suggested the attacks do not mean a major military campaign is about to be launched.
“Had Israel really wanted to go to war immediately after the pager attacks, we could have sent ground troops into Lebanon. Israel has not done that and is still in a defensive mode along the border.”
Amir Oren
Moreover, Marwan Bishara, a Senior Political Analyst, stated that the explosions in Lebanon were “an act of mass terror”, noting that Hezbollah is not only an armed group but also a political party with presence in various parts of society.
“Even a combatant who’s not in active duty, but is hanging out with his family, is not a legitimate target in war,” he said, adding that not everybody holding a pager is a “legitimate target.”
“This is a huge precedent for war in the region and beyond,” he added.
READ ALSO: ECG’s Financial Woes Deepens, PURC Warns of Potential Bankruptcy
