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Israel braces for retaliation after 9 killed in Lebanon attack

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is braced for a response after Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the pager explosions that has killed at least nine people.

Around 2,800 people have been left injured after a spree of simultaneous detonations of the handheld devices on Tuesday afternoon.

An advisor to Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad said that 200 people had sustained critical injuries, with an eight-year-old girl among the dead.

More than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical workers rushed to help the victims, with people urged to donate blood the Lebanese Red Cross said.

An investigation has been launched to determine the causes of the blasts, while one Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel.

The explosions occurred in a southern suburb of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, and other towns in central and southern Lebanon.

The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured by one of the blasts, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported. Two security sources also told Reuters that one of the fighters killed was the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament.

The Israeli military has so far declined to comment.

Key Points

  • Nine people killed and 2,800 wounded in ‘security incident’, says health minister

  • IDF braced for Hezbollah retaliation

  • Hezbollah place blame on Israel for pager blasts

  • Pagers reportedly contained lithium batteries

Air France suspends flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv

Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:49 , Holly Evans

Air France is suspending services from the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport to Beirut and Tel Aviv up to and including 19 September due to escalating security concerns in the Middle East, the airline said on Tuesday.

The operations will resume following an assessment of the situation, Air France added.

Earlier in the day, Lufthansa Group said it is suspending all connections to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran and will bypass Israeli and Iranian airspace up to and including Sept. 19.

Casualties are heavy toll on Hezbollah after year of fighting with Israel

Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:40 , Holly Evans

The casualties included Hezbollah fighters who are the sons of top officials from the armed group, two security sources told Reuters. One of those killed was the son of a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, Ali Ammar, they said.

“This is not a security targeting of one, two or three people. This is a targeting of an entire nation,” senior Hezbollah official Hussein Khalil said while paying his condolences for Ammar’s son.

Tuesday’s blasts added to a hefty price paid over the past year by Hezbollah. The group has lost more than 400 fighters in Israeli strikes, including its top commander Fuad Shukr in July. Security sources in Lebanon said two more Hezbollah fighters were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Lufthansa suspends flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran

Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:20 , Holly Evans

The airline Lufthansa have announced they are suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran with immediate effect.

In a statement, they said: “Due to the recent change in the security situation, the Lufthansa Group airlines have decided to suspend all connections to and from Tel Aviv (TLV) and Tehran (IKA) with immediate effect. This applies up to and including September 19. During this period, the Israeli and Iranian airspace will also be bypassed by all Lufthansa Group Airlines.

“The Lufthansa Group continues to monitor the situation closely and will assess it further in the coming days.”

Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers

Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:05 , Holly Evans

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government were quick to blame Israel for the nearly simultaneous detonation of hundreds of pagers used by the militant group’s members in an attack Tuesday that killed at least nine people and wounded nearly 3,000 others, according to officials.

Many of those hit were members of militant group Hezbollah, but it wasn’t immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. Among those killed were the son of a prominent Hezbollah politician and an 8-year-old girl, according to Lebanon’s health minister.

The attack came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured by the pager explosions.

Read the full article here:

Israel braces for retaliation after 9 killed in Lebanon attackIsrael braces for retaliation after 9 killed in Lebanon attack

Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers

Hezbollah vows to respond after multiple dead and thousands wounded in mass pager explosions

Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:45 , Holly Evans

Hezbollah has vowed to respond after nine people were killed and around 2,800 wounded following the simultaneous explosion of hundreds of electronic pagers used by the militia to communicate.

The group claimed the attack, which struck at 3.30pm local time, was perpetrated by Israel, an allegation that Israel refused to address, in keeping with its policy on assaults happening outside of its own territory.

The Lebanese health minister Firas al-Abyad said nine people had been killed, including an eight-year-old girl, after the pagers exploded across Lebanon and in the Syrian capital of Damascus, where Hezbollah have stationed some of its members. Another 2,800 were wounded, the minister said, including 400 who were critically injured.

Read the full story here:

Hezbollah vows to respond after multiple dead and thousands injured as pagers explode

IDF braced for Hezbollah retaliation after pager explosions

Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:25 , Holly Evans

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is braced for a response after Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the detonation of handheld pagers that has killed at least nine and injured thousands.

Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the IDF’s chief of staff, insisted that they remain ready “for attack and defence in all arenas”. He declined however to mentioning the pager attacks which occurred across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, and Israel has not responded to accusations they are responsible.

“We will update immediately on any change to [Home Front Command guidelines],” the IDF added.

UN special coordinator warns all8 actors to ‘refrain from further action’

Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:16 , Holly Evans

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement late on Tuesday that she deplored the attack across Lebanon hours earlier, warning that it marked an extremely concerning escalation.

In a statement, she urged “all concerned actors to refrain from any further action, or bellicose rhetoric, which could trigger a wider conflagration that nobody can afford”.

On Tuesday afternoon, pagers used by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, leaving thousands wounded and killing nine, including a young girl.

Pagers incident could pour fuel onto volatile situation in Lebanon

Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:49 , Holly Evans

It seemed too extraordinary to be real.

At around 3.45pm local time, hundreds of pagers began spontaneously exploding across Lebanon and parts of Syria killing at least eight people, including a child and injuring 2800 others.

Among the wounded are fighters in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, medics and even Iran’s envoy to Beirut.

The videos – shared online – which purportedly showed the moment these explosions occurred, are even more bizarre and raised further questions. Men in supermarkets, at vegetable stalls and on motorcycles, are seen suddenly being knocked to the ground by the powerful blasts.

Read the full analysis from our chief international correspondent Bel Trew:

Pagers incident could pour fuel onto volatile situation in Lebanon

Pagers were a new brand after Hezbollah warned members to stop carrying phones

Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:34 , Holly Evans

The pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria had apparently been acquired by Hezbollah after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones. This move was initiated after- the group warned that carrying mobiles meant they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.

A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.

Experts said the pager explosions point to a sophisticated, long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the pagers with explosives before they were imported to Lebanon.

Ambulances surrounding the entrance of a hospital after the pagers detonated (AFP via Getty Images)Ambulances surrounding the entrance of a hospital after the pagers detonated (AFP via Getty Images)

Ambulances surrounding the entrance of a hospital after the pagers detonated (AFP via Getty Images)

US say it is ‘too early’ to say how pager attacks could impact ceasefire talks

Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:17 , Holly Evans

The US State Department said it was too early to say how the pager attacks in Lebanon might impact efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

It urged Iran – which with its allies Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq has formed an “Axis of Resistance” against Israeli and US influence – not to take advantage of any incident to raise instability.

Hezbollah fighters have been using pagers as a low-tech means of communication in the belief they could evade Israeli location tracking, two sources familiar with the group’s operations had previously said. A pager is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays messages.

Israel sets new war goal of returning residents to Lebanon border

Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:00 , Holly Evans

Israel has added the safe return of its citizens to their homes near the border with Lebanon to its formal war goals, as it considers a wider military operation in Lebanon that could ignite an all-out conflict.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office said he laid out the war aim in a security cabinet meeting.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Read the full article from earlier today here:

Israel sets new war goal of returning residents to Lebanon border

Girl who died was daughter of Hezbollah member, reports say

Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:35 , Holly Evans

Among the nine people killed is an eight-year-old girl, who died after a pager exploded.

The girl is the daughter of a Hezbollah member and died in east Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, AFP news agency reports.

Nearly 3,000 are injured, 200 of them criticially, Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad has said.

Everything we know about the exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria

Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:18 , Holly Evans

At least nine people have been killed and thousands wounded after electronic pagers belonging to the Hezbollah militia simultaneously exploded in Lebanon and Syria.

The majority of the explosions took place in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Additional explosions were recorded in the Syrian capital of Damascus, where many Hezbollah members are based.

Hezbollah controls southern Lebanon, where they have been exchanging rocket fire with Israel across the border for nearly a year in solidarity with their fellow Iran-backed allies Hamas, who are fighting their own war against Israel.

Read the full article from Tom Watling here:

Everything we know about the exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria

Iraqi government and Iran-backed Iraqi militia offer support to Lebanon

Tuesday 17 September 2024 19:59 , Holly Evans

The Iraqi government and an Iran-backed Iraqi militia are promising to send assistance to Lebanon.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered Iraqi medical and emergency service teams to be sent, his office said in a statement.

The Kataeb Hezbollah militia, one of the most powerful among Iraq’s Iranian-backed armed groups, said in a separate statement that it would “put all our capabilities in the hands of the brothers in Lebanon.”

“We are fully prepared to go with them to the end, and to send fighters, equipment, and support, whether on the technical or logistical level,” it said.

US believes diplomatic solution is needed between Israel and Hezbollah

Tuesday 17 September 2024 19:51 , Holly Evans

The US continues to believe that there needs to be a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah promised to retaliate after blaming Israel for detonating pagers on Tuesday that killed at least eight people and wounded 2,750 others, including many of the militant group’s fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.

“So we continue, we continue to believe that there … should be a diplomatic resolution to this,” Jean Pierre said.

Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the entrance of a hospital (background) in Beirut (AFP via Getty Images)Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the entrance of a hospital (background) in Beirut (AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the entrance of a hospital (background) in Beirut (AFP via Getty Images)

US says it was not involved in the incident and is ‘gathering information’

Tuesday 17 September 2024 19:31 , Holly Evans

The United States has it is gathering information after at least nine people were killed and some 2,750 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members – including fighters and medics – detonated simultaneously across Lebanon.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular news briefing the US was not involved in the incidents and did not know who was responsible. Lebanon’s Hezbollah threatened to punish Israel in response to the incidents.

“We are gathering information on this incident,” Miller said. “I can tell you that the US was not involved in it. The US was not aware of this incident in advance.

“We’re collecting information in the same way that journalists are across the world, to gather the facts about what might have happened,” Miller added.

In response to a question, Miller said the United States was always concerned about any incident that can raise tensions in Middle East and urged Iran not to take advantage of any incident to raise instability.

Miller also said that civilians were not legitimate targets for any type of operation.

Hezbollah politician whose son was killed says attack is ‘Israeli aggression’

Tuesday 17 September 2024 19:20 , Holly Evans

Prominent Hezbollah politician Ali Ammar has told journalists that there will be retaliation in time after his son, Mahdi, was killed.

“This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” Mr Ammar said. “The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at the suitable time.”

A Hezbollah official said the wounded include the son of Hezbollah’s Hassan Fadlallah and the son of senior security official Wafiq Safa. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, whose son was reportedly one of those killed in the attack on Tuesday, was pictured being consoled by fellow officials (AP)Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, whose son was reportedly one of those killed in the attack on Tuesday, was pictured being consoled by fellow officials (AP)

Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, whose son was reportedly one of those killed in the attack on Tuesday, was pictured being consoled by fellow officials (AP)

Hamas responds to pager attack in Lebanon

Tuesday 17 September 2024 19:05 , Holly Evans

In a strongly-worded statement, Hamas has responded to the detonations in neighbouring Lebanon which has seen nearly 3,000 people injured.

The group, who have been fighting Israel in the besieged enclave of Gaza for nearly a year, are closely affiliated with Hezbollah.

Hamas similarily blamed the Israeli military for the pager attack and said: “We hold the occupation government fully responsible for the repercussions of this serious crime.”

Israel have not responded to allegations they are behind the attack.

Israeli military chief of staff met with senior officers to assess situation

Tuesday 17 September 2024 18:47 , Holly Evans

Without commenting directly on the explosions in Lebanon, an Israeli military spokesman said the chief of staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, had met with senior officers on Tuesday evening to assess the situation.

No policy change was announced but “vigilance must continue to be maintained”, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s domestic security agency said it had foiled a plot by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to assassinate a former senior defence official in the coming days.

The Shin Bet agency, which did not name the official, said in a statement it had seized an explosive device attached to a remote detonation system, using a mobile phone and a camera that Hezbollah had planned to operate from Lebanon.

Shin Bet said the attempted attack was similar to a Hezbollah plot foiled in Tel Aviv a year ago, without giving further details.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemns alleged ‘Israeli cyber attack’

Tuesday 17 September 2024 18:38 , Holly Evans

Lebanon’s foreign ministry has condemned what they have called an “Israeli cyber attack,” in which hundreds of handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria.

The ministry said in a statement that it is preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council.

“This dangerous and deliberate Israeli escalation is accompanied by Israeli threats to expand the scope of the war against Lebanon on a large scale, and by the intransigence of Israeli’s positions calling for more bloodshed, destruction and devastation,” it said.Israel has not commented.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it is preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council (EPA)Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it is preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council (EPA)

Lebanon’s foreign ministry said it is preparing to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council (EPA)

Hezbollah fighters injured by detonating pagers in Syria

Tuesday 17 September 2024 18:22 , Holly Evans

At least 14 people have been wounded in Syria when pagers used by Hezbollah fighters exploded, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British war monitor.

In a statement, they said: “Fourteen people whose nationalities are unknown have been wounded in Damascus and its countryside after pagers used by Hezbollah exploded.”

Iran’s foreign minister thanks Lebanon for treatment given to ambassador

Tuesday 17 September 2024 18:05 , Holly Evans

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was slightly injured on Tuesday by the explosion of an electronic pager, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“Amani has a superficial injury and is currently under observation in a hospital,” Fars quoted a source as saying.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in a phone call with his Lebanese counterpart, strongly condemned the “terrorist attack” and thanked Lebanon for providing immediate medical treatment to Amani, Iranian state media reported.

People injured seen ‘screaming in pain’ after pagers exploded

Tuesday 17 September 2024 18:00 , Holly Evans

After Tuesday’s blasts, a Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.

At Mt. Lebanon hospital, an eyewitness saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.

The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, said that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.

Groups of people have huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded.

People gathering around an ambulance carrying the wounded (AP)People gathering around an ambulance carrying the wounded (AP)

People gathering around an ambulance carrying the wounded (AP)

UN spokesperson says developments are ‘extremely concerning’

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:48 , Holly Evans

The United Nations spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, has described the developments in Lebanon as “extremely concerning”, noting the “extremely volatile” context.

“We deplore the civilian casualties that we have seen,” he said, adding: “We cannot underscore enough the risks of escalation in Lebanon and in the region.”

Nine people killed and 2,800 wounded in ‘security incident’, says health minister

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:40 , Bel Trew

Lebanese health minister Dr Firas al-Abyad said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that nine people had been killed, including an eight-year -old girl and 2800 wounded in the “security incident”.

He said that at around 3.30pm local time a large number of people, injured by their pager devices exploding, began arriving at emergency rooms mostly in suburbs of Beirut and the south of the country.

So far the ministry has recorded 2800 wounded, 200 of whom are in critical condition and required surgery or admission into intensive care units.

He said most of the injuries recorded were to the face, abdomen, hand and eyes.

Hezbollah in a statement said it held Israel “fully responsible for this criminal aggression, which also targeted civilians”. It warned that Israel will “receive “a just punishment”.

Pager explosions come at a time of heightened tension

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:34 , Holly Evans

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.

The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.

“The security cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. “Israel will continue to act to implement this objective.”

An ambulance can be seen rushing towards a hospital after the pager detonations (EPA)An ambulance can be seen rushing towards a hospital after the pager detonations (EPA)

An ambulance can be seen rushing towards a hospital after the pager detonations (EPA)

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah not harmed in detonations

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:29 , Holly Evans

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was not harmed in the spree of pager blasts across Lebanon, a senior Hezbollah source told Reuters.

It has previously been reported that a fighter, the son of a Hezbollah MP, was killed while another victim is reportedly a 10-year-old girl.

Pagers reportedly contained lithium batteries

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:20 , Holly Evans

A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the explosions were the result of “a security operation that targeted the devices.”

“The enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident,” the official claimed, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.

Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590C.

Hezbollah place blame on Israel for pager blasts

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:15 , Holly Evans

Hezbollah has blamed Israel for a spree of pager blasts across Lebanon, saying it will get “its fair punishment”, according to a statement released by the militant group on Tuesday.

No evidence has been provided to support this claim, and the Israeli military have not yet responded.

Lebanese soldiers gather outside a hospital (EPA)Lebanese soldiers gather outside a hospital (EPA)

Lebanese soldiers gather outside a hospital (EPA)

Emergency rooms overloaded with patients as people urged to donate blood

Tuesday 17 September 2024 17:06 , Holly Evans

Photographers for Associated Press at hospitals said the emergency rooms were overloaded with patients, many of them with injuries to their limbs, some in serious condition.

The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs – all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence – had called on people to donate blood of all types.

The news agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported”.

Photos and videos show people lying on the ground with injuries

Tuesday 17 September 2024 16:58 , Holly Evans

Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry mobile phones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.

Lebanon’s health ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.

Eight people killed and almost 2,750 wounded, says Lebanon’s health minister

Tuesday 17 September 2024 16:48 , Holly Evans

Eight people were killed and almost 2,750 wounded – 200 of them critically – in a spree of simultaneous detonations of pagers across Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Tuesday.

A Hezbollah official earlier claimed that the son of one of their prominent legislators Ali Ammar Mahdi, was killed when device he was carrying exploded.

An ambulance arriving at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (Reuters)An ambulance arriving at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (Reuters)

An ambulance arriving at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (Reuters)

Read the full story: ‘More than a thousand’ Hezbollah members injured after pagers suddenly explode

Tuesday 17 September 2024 16:43 , Holly Evans

More than a thousand Hezbollah members across Lebanon have been seriously injured after their pagers suddenly exploded, officials said.

A security source told Reuters the number of wounded was more than 1,000. In a statement, Hezbollah claimed that three people had been killed, including “a girl and two brothers”.

The Independent could not immediately verify this claim, but the family of a Hezbollah member told Agence France-Presse that their 10-year-old daughter had been killed in Lebanon’s east. Another official from the group said the son of one of Hezbollah’s prominent legislators Ali Ammar Mahdi, was killed when device he was carrying exploded.

Read the full article here:

‘More than a thousand’ Hezbollah members injured after pagers suddenly explode

Welcome to our live coverage

Tuesday 17 September 2024 16:38 , Holly Evans

Welcome to our live coverage after hundreds of Hezbollah fighters have reportedly been injured after their handheld pagers detonated.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates here

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