In Lebanon, hundreds of radio receivers exploded almost simultaneously. They were reportedly planted by Israeli agents. Hezbollah is threatening.
An ambulance carrying injured people arrived at the emergency room of the American University Hospital in Beirut on Tuesday. Photo: dpa
Tel Aviv/Beirut dpa | Fears of a full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia are growing after a suspected joint blast of a portable radio receiver in Lebanon left thousands injured and several dead. The Israeli military and secret service did not claim responsibility for the blast, but Hezbollah and its main backer Iran immediately accused the group of masterminding the blast.
The Israeli military says it is preparing for retaliation. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said in a briefing that evening that the focus is on “preparedness in all areas, including offense and defense.”
Hundreds of so-called pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon on Tuesday, injuring some 2,750 people and killing nine. The wounded were reportedly many Hezbollah fighters, including members of the elite Radwan unit.
Iran-backed Shiite militias have condemned Israel and vowed revenge. Nabiberi, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament who is allied with Hezbollah, has spoken of “massacres and war crimes committed by Israel.” Lebanese schools and universities are closed today in remembrance of the victims and in protest.
Presumed to have tampered with explosives
According to media reports, the detonated radio receiver was probably prepared as an explosive by Israeli agents. Many were reported to have arrived in deliveries received by Hezbollah in the past few days. The Wall Street Journal Cite sources for your information.
Israeli agents reportedly intercepted the Taiwanese devices before they reached Lebanon, each loaded with about 25 to 50 grams of explosives. The New York Times It cited U.S. and other officials briefed on the operation.
According to information from the American news portal Axios, the explosion paralyzed a significant part of Hezbollah’s military command and control system. The Israeli attack was aimed at making the powerful militia nervous and creating a sense within them that Israeli intelligence was fully infiltrated, Axios said, citing unidentified sources. According to a US State Department spokesperson, the US was not involved and therefore had no prior knowledge of such actions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the blast an “act of terrorism” and condemned Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a key ally of the Hezbollah militia, and both deny the right of the Jewish state to exist. Araghchi expressed condolences to his Lebanese colleague Abdullah Bu Habib and offered Iranian support.
Escalation warning
In light of recent events, the United Nations is strongly warning against escalation in the Middle East. “These developments are deeply worrying, given the extreme volatility they are taking place in,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The radio receivers in Lebanon exploded just hours after a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet, which declared the return of Israeli civilians who escaped the military battle with Hezbollah as one of its war goals, while simultaneously liberating hostages in the beleaguered Gaza Strip and destroying the Islamic militia Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah.
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant told U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein on Monday that the only way to achieve this was through “military action.” The possibility of a diplomatic solution to the Hezbollah conflict is becoming increasingly remote as the militia remains tied to Hamas’ fate in Gaza and refuses to end the conflict.
Since the Gaza war began nearly a year ago, there have been almost daily clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army along the border between Israel and Lebanon. Mutual shelling has resulted in deaths on both sides, most of whom were Hezbollah members. About 60,000 Israelis have been forced to leave their homes and apartments in northern Israel. Thousands more have fled southern Lebanon to other areas.
The US wants to resume negotiations
Israel wants to apply military and diplomatic pressure to force Hezbollah militias to withdraw 30 km from the border, behind the Litani River, as stipulated in UN Resolution 1701. However, Hezbollah has no intention of stopping fighting until a ceasefire is reached in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to be in Egypt by Thursday to resume talks to end the Gaza war. But an agreement between Israel and Hamas now looks virtually impossible. Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. are acting as mediators.
Palestinians are calling on the UN General Assembly to vote on a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. “Be on the right side of history, with international law, freedom and peace. The alternative is what you see on your television screens every day,” said Riad Mansur, Palestinian Permanent Representative to the UN, in New York.
The draft resolution seeks to enforce the legal opinion of the UN’s highest court on the Middle East conflict. A vote is scheduled for Wednesday. If adopted, the draft resolution will not be binding under international law. Israel’s UN ambassador sharply criticized the Palestinian move.
Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967. Palestinians claim the area as their own, a territory that should have been created alongside Israel and is supported by most countries, including Germany.
