Hezbollah Lebanon Accuses Israel of Widespread Communication Device Explosions and Threatens Retaliation

The Hezbollah group affiliated with the Islamic Republic on Tuesday, September 17, accused Israel of widespread explosions of communication devices and vowed to take revenge on the country. According to Reuters, Ziad Makari, Lebanon's Minister of Information, described the pager explosions on Tuesday afternoon as an 'Israeli aggression' and stated that Israel would be punished for these explosions. Firas Abiad, Lebanon's Minister of Health, also reported that eight people were killed and 2,750 others injured in the pager explosions, with the condition of 200 of them being critical. Reuters reported that the pagers exploded mainly in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahieh, and the eastern Bekaa Valley, all of which are locations of Hezbollah's presence and 'strongholds.' An unnamed Hezbollah official told Reuters that the pager explosions represented the 'largest security breach' for the group in nearly a year of conflict with Israel. Meanwhile, the Islamist militant group Hamas stated that the pager explosions bring Israel closer to 'defeat.' The U.S. State Department, however, commented on these events, saying, 'It is still too early to say what the pager attacks in Lebanon will have on efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.' The United States also warned the Islamic Republic not to use this incident to increase instability in the region. An Israeli army spokesperson, without directly commenting on the explosions in Lebanon, stated that the Chief of Staff met with senior officers on Tuesday evening to assess the situation, but no changes in policies have been announced yet. Two operational sources told Reuters that Hezbollah fighters use pagers as a low-tech communication device, believing they can evade Israeli location tracking. A pager is a wireless communication device that receives and displays messages without an internet connection. The Lebanese Ministry of Health, in its latest update on these incidents, announced that the death toll has risen to 11, and the number of injured has reached 4,000, with 400 of them needing intensive care. The U.S. warned the Islamic Republic: Do not exploit the pager explosions to escalate tensions in the region. Reactions to the explosions of Hezbollah's pagers; users: Hail to the pagers and the hand that ignited them. At least 9 dead and about 3,000 injured in the explosion of pager devices of Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria.