9 killed, 2800 injured in deadly pager explosion in Lebanon amid tensions with Israel

At least nine individuals, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, lost their lives, and another 2,800 were injured when a series of pager explosions rocked Lebanon on Tuesday. The blasts, which used pagers as communication devices, triggered widespread chaos and confusion across the nation. Among the wounded were Hezbollah operatives, medical personnel, and Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, as confirmed by Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad.

The Lebanese government and Hezbollah quickly pointed fingers at Israel. Lebanon's Information Minister, Ziad Makary, denounced the explosions as "Israeli aggression," while Hezbollah vowed to retaliate. A senior Hezbollah official, who preferred to remain anonymous, labeled the incident the "biggest security breach" the group had experienced in almost a year of ongoing conflict with Israel.

In the aftermath, Hezbollah confirmed the deaths of two of its fighters and a young girl. The militant group also reported that its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, was unharmed. An investigation into the blasts is underway to determine the exact cause. Lebanese security forces revealed that a number of wireless communication devices were detonated, specifically targeting Hezbollah-stronghold areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The affected pagers were a newly introduced model by Hezbollah in recent months.

The incident unfolded at approximately 3:45 p.m. local time, followed by a series of explosions that lasted for about an hour. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry described the explosions as a "dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation." This statement came shortly after Israel had threatened to expand its military operations into Lebanon, marking a significant heightening of tensions following the Gaza war that erupted last October.

Eyewitnesses reported scenes of chaos and urgency, with medical teams rushing the injured to hospitals throughout Beirut and southern Lebanon. Ambulances moved between the cities of Tyre and Sidon, transporting the critically injured. Among those killed was the son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar. 

Iran's envoy to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, sustained minor injuries in the blasts. The repercussions of the incident were felt beyond Lebanon's borders as well. In neighboring Syria, 14 people were injured in similar pager-related explosions linked to Hezbollah, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The tension between Israel and Hezbollah has been escalating in recent weeks. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel's domestic security agency, Shin Bet, announced that it had thwarted a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former senior Israeli defense official. Despite the allegations and heightened accusations, Israel has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the explosions in Lebanon.

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