NEight people were killed and nearly 2,800 others injured in the explosion on Tuesday of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members in Lebanon, according to a new report from the Health Ministry.
Lebanese MP’s son killed
Among the dead was the son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar, a Source close to Hezbollah told AFP, according to whom the son of MP Hassan Fadlallah was also wounded. Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, was also wounded, according to Iranian state television. As were the sons of a senior Hezbollah security official.
A 10-year-old girl was also killed in the east of the country when her father’s pager exploded, according to her family and a Source close to Hezbollah. According to Health Minister Firass Abiad, most of the victims were injured “in the face, hand, stomach and even eyes.”
Fourteen Hezbollah members in Syria were also injured by the explosion of their pagers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
Hezbollah accuses Israel
The Lebanese Islamist movement claimed that Israel was “fully responsible” for the simultaneous explosions and assured that it would “receive its just punishment” following “this criminal aggression”. Hamas denounced a “Zionist terrorist aggression”. Israel has not commented on the explosions.
Lebanese Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced the closure of schools and universities on Wednesday, to condemn “this criminal act committed by the Israeli enemy.”
The United States denies any involvement.
For its part, the United States has affirmed that it was neither involved nor informed in advance of the explosion on Tuesday of pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, with American diplomacy urging Iran to avoid any act that would further aggravate tensions.
“I can tell you that the United States was not involved in this, that the United States was not aware of this incident in advance, and at this point we are gathering information,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
He declined to comment on the attribution of this attack, the Lebanese Islamist movement designating Israel, ally of the United States and adversary of Hezbollah.
The UN calls the attack an “extremely worrying escalation”
The explosion marks an “extremely worrying escalation,” the UN special coordinator for Lebanon warned. “Today’s developments mark an extremely worrying escalation in an already […] “volatile,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.
She urged “all parties concerned to refrain from any further action […] which could trigger a wider conflagration.”
Flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran suspended
German airline Lufthansa said on Tuesday it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until at least Thursday due to tensions in the region.
“Due to the recent changes in the security situation, Lufthansa has decided to suspend all connections to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran, effective immediately,” the airline said in a statement. “During this period, our aircraft will also avoid Israeli and Iranian airspace.” The airline added that it was monitoring the situation closely and “will assess it further in the coming days.”
Air France also announced Tuesday evening the suspension of its flights with Tel Aviv and Beirut, at least until Thursday inclusive. “Due to the security situation at the destination, Air France is suspending its connections between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Beirut (Lebanon) and between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Tel Aviv (Israel) until September 19, 2024 inclusive,” the company announced in a press release.
“The resumption of operations will remain subject to a daily assessment of the situation on site,” said the company, which indicates that it is “constantly monitoring the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the territories served and overflown by its aircraft in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security of flights.”
“The affected customers will be notified individually and solutions for postponement or reimbursement will be offered to them,” added Air France, which specified that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority.”
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