25 Killed in Second Wave of Hezbollah Communication Device Explosions; Iran's Letter to the UN

About 24 hours after the explosion of thousands of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, some other communication devices used by the group, including handheld radios, exploded. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday evening, September 28, that as a result of the new wave of explosions in the country, 25 people were killed and 708 were injured. A day earlier, the explosion of the pagers in the hands of individuals linked to Hezbollah had left 12 dead and 2323 injured. Reuters, citing a security source and an eyewitness, reported that these explosions occurred throughout southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Reuters source indicated that the newly exploded devices were "handheld radios," which differ from the pagers that exploded on Tuesday. The official Lebanese news agency reported that the explosion of devices in the city of Sahmar in eastern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to 15 others. Al Jazeera also reported explosions of communication devices in the Dahiyeh area, which is the main center of Hezbollah in southern Beirut, and an Associated Press reporter in Beirut stated that several explosions occurred during the funeral of Hezbollah members and a child who were killed in the pager explosions on Tuesday. The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar network also confirmed explosions at several locations in Lebanon, stating that this was due to the detonation of handheld radios. The Lebanese Red Cross stated that thirty groups along with ambulances were dispatched to assist the victims of the explosions in various areas, including southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Reuters reported that Hezbollah had purchased these handheld radios five months ago, almost simultaneously with the pagers. The official Lebanese news agency also reported that solar power systems in several areas of Beirut and southern Lebanon exploded, injuring at least one girl. An Associated Press photographer also noted that in the port city of Sidon, a car and a mobile phone shop were seen damaged after the explosion of the devices. The Lebanese Minister of Health announced that surgeries had been performed on 460 of the injured from Tuesday, most of whom suffered eye injuries. Faras Al-Abiad also stated that the health condition of about 300 of the injured from Tuesday is critical. As a result of the explosions on Tuesday, Mojtaba Amani, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic in Lebanon, was also injured, prompting Iran to request the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to condemn this act. Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, in a letter to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, and the heads of the Security Council and the General Assembly, stated: "The Islamic Republic of Iran will seriously pursue the attack against its ambassador in Lebanon, which resulted in his injury, and reserves its rights under international law to take necessary actions to respond to this heinous crime and violation of laws." Mr. Iravani further attributed the explosion of Hezbollah's pagers to Israel, describing its aim as "massacre, killing, and causing great suffering and severe harm to the civilian population." Reuters reported that the radios used in Lebanon were examined and a label "ICOM" and the inscription "Made in Japan" were found on an internal page. According to information published on the ICOM website, this Japanese company operates in the field of communications and telephony. ICOM announced that the production of several models of radios, including the model IC-V82, which resembles the images of the exploded radios in Lebanon, has been discontinued and has been out of service since 2014. The company has not responded to Reuters' inquiries about the explosions in Lebanon on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic government condemned the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday as an "Israeli crime." Fatemeh Mohajerani stated on X, formerly Twitter, that "the Islamic Republic government is ready to assist the victims of this crime." Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, despite the fact that the perpetrator of the explosion with the pagers in Lebanon has not been identified, reacted to this event by saying that he considers this attack a "shame for Western countries, especially the Americans." Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that senior diplomats from the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Italy will meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss rising tensions in the Middle East. This meeting will take place amid fears of a widespread war in the region following two consecutive days of pager and communication device explosions in Lebanon. Israel has not claimed responsibility for these explosions. However, in addition to Hezbollah and Iranian officials, the extremist group Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, has also blamed Israel for these explosions. In continuation of the increasing pressure from Israel on the Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran, the Israeli army bombed Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Thursday, September 29. On this day, the Israeli army announced that it targeted six "infrastructure sites" of Hezbollah and a weapons depot in southern Lebanon. The National News Agency of Lebanon also reported airstrikes and shelling by Israel on several cities in the south of the country. In recent months, exchanges of fire have forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to flee their homes.