The Lebanese group assured that Israel “will face just punishment” following “this criminal attack.”
Lebanon’s Prime Minister and Houthis Also Condemn Israel
🇱🇧 🇮🇱Israelis hack into all ‘pager’ communication devices used by Lebanese people, remotely triggering explosions, injuring 2,750 & killing 7 & a child‼️
— zaahra_95 🇮🇷🇵🇸✌ (@ZAAHRA_95) September 17, 2024
Hezbollah | Beirut |Lebanon | Mossad |lithium|Lock her up pic.twitter.com/7HWLSZVh3m
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, also blamed Israel for the series of explosions in the country, calling it a “criminal act” and describing it as a “flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty.” He called on the international community to take responsibility and pressure Israel to stop its aggression and threats, urging the enforcement of international resolutions.
A senior Hezbollah source told Reuters that the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was not injured in the explosions.
⚡️#Iranian Ambassador among ‘hundreds’ injured in series of explosions in #Lebanon 🇱🇧 — media
— @vipin mishra 🇮🇳 (@viplnt) September 17, 2024
Among the wounded was apparently the #Iranian ambassador in #Beirut, the country’s #Mehr news agency said, linking the incident to an #IsraeliCyberattack#Lebanon pic.twitter.com/alHAc0zhIC
The Houthis also condemned the “Israeli attack” in Lebanon. Their spokesperson, Mohammed Abdel Salam, called it a “heinous crime and violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”
At Least 9 Dead, Over 2,800 Injured
At least nine people lost their lives, and thousands more were injured today in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon due to the simultaneous explosions of hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah. The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed this, with two fighters from the pro-Iranian movement and an 8-year-old girl among the victims.
זירת הפיצוץ בביירות, היום pic.twitter.com/miDyxYsRyX
— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) September 17, 2024
Additionally, two security sources reported that one of the deceased fighters was the son of a Hezbollah parliament member. The Ministry of Health later updated the casualty count to at least 2,800 injured, 200 of whom are in critical condition.
نقلاً عن "NBN": العدو الإسرائيلي يفجّر بواسطة تقنية عالية نظام الـ pagers المحمول باليد لعناصر من حزب الله في أكثر من مكان في الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت.#بيروت #الضاحية_الجنوبية #لبنان #ليبانوس pic.twitter.com/36CwVoayRE
— Lebanos (@lebanosnews) September 17, 2024
Reports Suggest Israeli Cyberattack
Lebanese media and Sky News Arabia reported that Israel managed to hack the devices, causing the explosions. As of now, there has been no comment from Israel regarding the incident or the alleged cyberattack.
Dozens of Hezbollah members, including medical personnel, were seriously injured in the incident, according to initial security reports from Reuters, while a reporter in Beirut witnessed at least 10 Hezbollah members bleeding. Iranian sources also reported that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was among the injured.
Hospital in Beirut Lebanon presently.
— MariaPatricia éiRe (@MariaPIreland) September 17, 2024
A source in Hezbollah for "Al Arabi Al-Jadid":
"Israel remotely hacked into Hezbollah's unique communication devices and blew them up.
There are injured, no deaths have been reported yet."
Hezbollah communication devices across Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/nPZKMtRMxS
Similar explosions, resulting in more injuries, occurred in other areas of southern Lebanon after the initial incident in Beirut, as confirmed by security sources cited by Reuters and Arab media outlets. Both Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera reported that the explosions occurred in Mount Lebanon and the southern part of the country, with residents noting that the blasts lasted about half an hour.
A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, said the detonation of the pagers was the “largest security breach” the organization has experienced in its conflict with Israel, which has lasted nearly a year.
Hezbollah Members Injured in Damascus
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, connected to opposition organizations in Syria, reported that some Hezbollah members were taken to hospitals in Damascus after the explosion of pagers they were carrying. According to the Observatory, one pager exploded inside a car traveling through the Syrian capital.
