Hundreds of people were injured in a suspected coordinated attack in Lebanon – by exploding telecommunications equipment. The German Press Agency learned this from sources in a hospital in a southern suburb of the capital Beirut. Around 300 injured people were admitted there. Hezbollah sources said that numerous members of the Shiite militia were injured. There were initially no official figures on the number of victims.
Videos from surveillance cameras showed small explosions in supermarkets, for example. Some people were lying on the ground afterward. According to local media, the explosions occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is particularly strong, and in the south of the country. It was not immediately clear whether there were any deaths.
Panic in the streets
Eyewitnesses reported panic in the streets of Beirut. Numerous ambulances were deployed. The Lebanese Ministry of Health called all hospitals to be on high alert and asked people not to use radios. The devices that exploded are said to be portable radio receivers, also known as pagers. The ministry called for blood donations.
According to media reports, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also injured in the explosion of a pager. Hezbollah is the most important non-state ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Conflict between Hezbollah and Israel
There was speculation that Israel may have deliberately detonated the devices as an attack on Hezbollah fighters. Israel’s army did not initially comment on the incidents in Lebanon.
Since the Gaza war began almost a year ago, there have been almost daily confrontations between the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli military in the border region. There have been deaths on both sides as a result of the shelling – most of them were members of Hezbollah. According to Israeli sources, three Hezbollah fighters were killed in an attack on a town in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The pro-Iranian Shiite militia says it is acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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