Horror, tears, wailing in Lebanon  as 8 die, over 2, 800 people injured as Israel detonates Pagers on Hezbollah, civilians

 

Emmanuel Thomas I Tuesday, September 17, 2024

 

BEIRUT – Lebanon has been thrown into mourning as horrific pictures emerge of explosions from Pagers, messaging devices, used by members of the Lebanese militant organisation, Hezbollah and the civilian population, leaving at least eight dead and thousands of others severely injured.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry,  eight people were killed in the  pager explosion and that the number of injured has exceeded 2,800 people. The ministry added that at least 200 people were seriously injured and now in over 100 hospital, where health officials are requesting urgent donation of blood to take care of the patients. It noted that patients are currently being transferred to different governorates and that the hospitals have exceeded their capacity.

The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was reported to have been slightly injured in the explosion.

Reporting on the incident,  Hezbollah said that approximately 3:30 PM on Tuesday, 17-09-2024, several communication devices known as “pagers” carried by a number of workers in various units and institutions of Hezbollah exploded.

“These explosions, whose causes still remain unknown, have resulted in the martyrdom of a young girl and two [of our] brothers so far, and have injured a large number of others with varying degrees of severity.

“The specialized units in Hezbollah are currently conducting a comprehensive security and scientific investigation to determine the causes of these simultaneous explosions. Medical and clinical teams are also treating the wounded and injured in several hospitals across different Lebanese regions”, Hezbollah said,  affirming  that the resistance, at all levels and across its various units, remains at the highest level of preparedness to defend Lebanon and its steadfast people.

But some minutes later Hezbollah came out and pointed the accusing fingers directly at Israel.

“After examining all the facts, current data and available information about the sinful attack that took place this afternoon, we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians and led to the martyrdom of a number of people and the injury of a large number with various wounds”, the resistant movement said.

It added “our martyrs and wounded are the symbol of our struggle and sacrifices on the road to Quds, a victory for our honorable people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and continuous field support. Our position of victory, support and backing for the valiant Palestinian resistance will remain a source of pride and honor for us in this world and the hereafter”, the group said, stressing that this ‘ treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression, whether it expects it or not, and Allah is witness to what we say”.

How it happened

As to how it occurred,  a source in Hezbollah said an “Israeli” cyber expert hacked into communication devices designated for party members and detonated them”.  There are reports that prior to the explosion, pagers used by  students of the American University of Beirut were collected from the students  a week before under pretext of repair in a way corroborating the findings of Hezbollah.

However, the incident has drawn a lot of condemnations.

A director  with Al Jazeera in Beirut said pagers that exploded were not just those of members of Hezbollah. According to him people who have no connection with Hezbollah were blown up in the cyber attack.

Former Interior Minister in Lebanon, Marwan Charbel  described the Pager explosion in Beirut as a terrorist  attack by the Israeli regime against the Lebanese people.

Mr. Hassan Illaik, Lebanese journalists said “we must handle the event calmly. It is a significant “israeli” intelligence blow, perhaps the largest in the context of a war of attrition, where, for the first time in its history, the enemy sees the resistance imposing it within the borders of the land it considers exclusively its own.

“For this reason, it wants to strike us harshly with all its might, while attempting not to escalate into a full-scale war, at least for now. Engaging in a battle for more than 11 months that drains the enemy within what it sees as its “borders,” without the ability to respond with an all-out war so far, is beyond the enemy’s capacity to endure, and it surpasses the ability of many of us to comprehend its historical significance and outcomes.

“Therefore, the enemy wants to deliver severe blows. It sends a bloody intelligence message to the leadership of the resistance, to the resistance fighters themselves, and to us, the supporters of the resistance. War is back and forth. This is a deceitful strike, and our resistance will handle it as it has accustomed us—with great resilience, calm nerves, thwarting the enemy’s goals, and finding ways to deter and make it pay for what it has committed.

“The wounded are our brothers and sons, whom the enemy wants to defeat by targeting them. But we know them well; they are strong, brave, who have given their skulls for Allah and look only to the high and far like the brave.

“Today, we will treat our wounded and ensure they are not exposed to danger. They are the ones whom Allah has prepared to defeat the greatest enemy in human history. Tomorrow, they will return to their comrades and their fronts to support the people of Palestine, and Allah will grant us victory through them. We dedicate to them our blood and the warmth of our hearts”, he said.

The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement said, “we strongly condemn the criminal and terrorist bombings that targeted Lebanese communication networks, resulting in the martyrdom of many and the injury of hundreds of our brothers and sisters in Lebanon.

“This dirty and immoral crime bears the zionist fingerprints and is part of the criminal zionist war against our nation led by the Nazi Netanyahu government with the support of the criminal US administration.

“The enemy will not succeed in their attempts through their cowardly and treacherous crimes to break the will of resistance in our nation or deter the fighters in Hezbollah and Lebanon from continuing their support for the Gaza Strip, which is enduring the most heinous acts of genocide, or in expanding their strikes deep within the entity.

“The criminal zionist enemy must pay the price for its heinous crimes against our people and our nation and must realise that it is in an open battle with all the living forces in the nation. We call on our nation and its living forces to unite and align in the face of the nation’s central enemy, the criminal zionist entity and its sponsor, the criminal US administration”, the group said.