Simultaneous explosions in Lebanon of beepers used by Hezbollah killed nine people and injured nearly 2,800. While Israel has not commented on Tuesday’s events, U.S. officials told the New York Times that the Mossad (Israeli foreign secret service) had managed to hide explosives in a shipment of pagers ordered by Hezbollah in Taiwan. The manufacturer in question denies having manufactured these devices. This series of attacks constitutes an “extremely worrying escalation” in the region, warns the UN.
Key information to remember
⇒ Pagers bought by Hezbollah in Taiwan trapped by Mossad, according to U.S. officials.
⇒ Lebanese Shiite movement threatens Israel with reprisals.
⇒ Air France suspends its flights with Tel Aviv and Beirut
Pagers bought by Hezbollah in Taiwan, booby-trapped by Mossad ?
Officials from the United States and other countries told the New York Times that Israel had managed to hide small explosives in pagers purchased by Hezbollah in Taiwan and to trigger them remotely on Tuesday, killing 9 people and injuring nearly 2,800. The small devices were reportedly intercepted by Israeli services before their arrival in Lebanon, and a few dozen grams of explosive material were inserted next to the battery with a trigger, the daily said.
More than 3,000 units were reportedly ordered by Hezbollah from Taiwan’s Gold Apollo company, the sources said. However, the manufacturer denied on Wednesday that it had manufactured the beepers: “These are not our products.” […] “These are not our products from start to finish,” company director Hsu Ching-kuang told reporters in Taipei. In a statement, the company said the booby-trapped pagers were produced and sold by its Hungarian partner BAC. “Under a cooperation agreement, we allow BAC to use our brand for product sales in some regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are BAC’s sole responsibility,” he said.
The information from the American daily supports the theory, put forward Tuesday by several experts, according to which the Israeli services had managed to infiltrate the Hezbollah supply chain to plan this attack. A source close to the movement had earlier indicated to AFP that “the beepers which exploded concern a shipment recently imported by Hezbollah of 1,000 devices”, which according to him appeared to have been “hacked at the source”.
Hezbollah “will continue its support operations in Gaza”
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will deliver a speech on Thursday about the “latest developments,” the Lebanese Islamist movement said in a statement on Wednesday. During the night, the Islamist movement said it would “continue” its operations to support Gaza, despite the deadly wave of explosions that targeted it and which it blames on Israel. A source close to Hezbollah explained on Tuesday that “hundreds of members” of the movement “were injured by the simultaneous explosion of their pagers,” a radio messaging system, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in southern Lebanon and in the eastern Bekaa plain.
Hezbollah said Israel was “fully responsible” and assured that it would “receive its just punishment.” It specified, in a statement published on Telegram, that this path was “distinct from the difficult toll that the criminal enemy (Israel, editor’s note) must expect for its massacre on Tuesday.” Hamas denounced a “Zionist terrorist aggression.”
The United States, Israel’s top ally, was “not aware” of the explosions in advance, the State Department said, urging Iran to avoid any action that would escalate tensions in the region.
Scenes of chaos in Lebanon after series of Israeli attacks
Dozens of ambulances carrying the wounded rushed to hospitals in Beirut, the Bekaa and the southern Lebanese city of Saida on Tuesday. In Beirut’s southern suburbs, tents were set up to house residents who rushed to donate blood. Wounded people lay in the streets amid traffic jams, or on the ground in a hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Among the dead was a 10-year-old girl killed by the explosion of her father’s pager, as well as the son of a Hezbollah MP. Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, was wounded, Iranian television reported. Fourteen Hezbollah members in Syria were also injured by the explosion of their pagers, according to an NGO.
Lebanese Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced the closure of schools and universities on Wednesday, to condemn “this criminal act committed by the Israeli enemy.” The series of explosions marks an “extremely worrying escalation,” the UN said. Israel had announced on Tuesday its decision to extend the aims of the war to the Israeli-Lebanese border, in order to allow the return of displaced people.
Several airlines suspend flights to Lebanon and Israel
Air France announced Tuesday evening the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut, at least until Thursday inclusive, “due to the security situation at the destination”. “The resumption of operations will remain subject to a daily assessment of the situation on site,” the company said. German airline Lufthansa also said Tuesday that it would suspend its flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran for the same period, due to tensions in the region.
Anthony Blinken in Cairo for new ceasefire talks
Against this volatile backdrop, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo early Wednesday to discuss a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held there. After months of fruitless negotiations, Washington said it was still working with mediators Qatar and Egypt to finalize a proposed deal that would be acceptable to both sides. “We want to know when we present a proposal that it will be accepted,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.