Israel has been singled out as being behind the attack as pagers explode.
Now Israeli President Isaac Herzog hits back and denies any involvement.
– First of all, I want to reject that we have any connection to the operation or any source to it, says Herzog in an interview with Sky News.
Herzog also states that Israel does not want a full-scale war with Lebanon and that some other actor may have been behind the attack.
– Hezbollah has many enemies. Hezbollah has destroyed Lebanon and created havoc in Lebanon, says President Herzog.
The Iran-backed militia Hezbollah has singled out Israel as responsible for the attack and vowed revenge. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, announced in a speech that Israel will be met with “harsh retaliation and just punishment”.
Several dead and thousands injured
At least 42 people died and around 3,500 were injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, when pagers, mainly in Lebanon, suddenly exploded on Tuesday afternoon. During Wednesday, among other things, several walkie-talkies exploded in a similar act.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has condemned the act, which he believes is a violation of human rights.
– Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held accountable, said Volker Türk.
Several sources point to Israel
Several sources have stated, including for New York Times that Israel allegedly placed smaller batches of explosive substances in the pagers, which were then sold to Hzibollah.
Traces from the detonated pagers lead to a manufacturer in Taiwan and a shell company in Hungary believed to have been used by Israeli intelligence to supply the pagers to Hezbollah, reports The Washington Post.
Several Israeli officials from the intelligence service also testify that for a long time Israel made an effort to be able to hit Hezbollah with a so-called “red button”. An instrument that should be able to lie dormant and be used when needed.
The intensity of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has increased this week and President Herzog believes that there is a chance that the situation will “escalate dramatically”.