Head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that explosions in booby-trapped radios and pagers in Lebanon “seriously disrupted” the country’s fragile health sector.
Ghebreyesus, at a press conference on Thursday, September 19, 2024, that the WHO had distributed blood supplies and trauma kits in the country.
The UN health agency cited Lebanese health authorities’ toll that 37 people had been killed and more than 3,000 injured in the pager blasts that detonated in areas considered strongholds of the anti-Israel group, Hezbollah.
“The whole health system came under immense pressure very, very quickly,” WHO Emergencies Chief, Mike Ryan at the same briefing.
WHO’s Representative in Lebanon, Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar said that 100 hospitals were involved in the response.
“A series of drills ahead of the attacks and the stockpiling of emergency supplies helped prepare doctors and nurses in advance and limited the casualties,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, called on the UN to take a “firm stance” against Israel ahead of a meeting of the UN security council on Friday, September 20, 2024.
“This matter does not only concern Lebanon but all of humanity,” Mikati said in a statement.
According to experts, the explosions of wireless communication devices across Lebanon, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, likely constitute a breach of the laws of war.
That includes the possible violation of prohibitions on indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, as the blasts have killed dozens of people and injured thousands more.
Sarah Leah Whitson, a Lawyer and Director of the US-based rights group, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), said, “You’re not supposed to booby-trap objects that civilians are likely to pick up and use, or objects generally associated with normal civilian use.”
“And this is exactly why we’ve seen the devastation that we’re seeing in Lebanon,” she told a news agency.
“Anybody could pick up one of these pagers. We also have no idea who had the pagers, or whether or not they’re legitimate military targets,” she added.
Israel’s Defence Minister Tags “New Phase” Of The War
Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the country entered what he described as a “new phase” of the war.
Gallant, addressing top Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials in comments carried by an Israeli news agency, noted, “This is a new phase in the war, it has significant opportunities, but also heavy risks.”
“Hezbollah is feeling chased and the sequence of our military operations will continue,” he stated.
“Our goal is to return the residents of the north to their homes safely. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasing price,” he added.
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