Middle East crisis live: Hezbollah says it will continue operations to ‘support Gaza’, after exploding pager attack
Hezbollah To Continue Supporting Gaza Operations
On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah in Lebanon announced that it will persist with its operations aimed at supporting Gaza, just as it has in recent days. This statement followed a tragic incident involving exploding devices that resulted in nine fatalities and left thousands injured.
The group stated on Telegram, "This journey continues and is distinct from the tough consequences that the criminal adversary will face for the violence carried out on Tuesday."
On Tuesday, numerous pagers belonging to Hezbollah members went off across Lebanon, and the organization has accused Israel of being responsible for the explosions.
The Israeli military did not provide any immediate response to the series of explosions, which occurred shortly after Israel declared it was expanding the scope of the conflict that started with Hamas's attacks on October 7 to also target Hezbollah along its border with Lebanon.
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Late at night, Israel's military reported that four soldiers had died.
The total number of fatalities reported by Israel since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza now stands at 346.
The assertions have not been confirmed by independent sources, and journalists have found it difficult to validate the reported number of casualties during the conflict.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is set to deliver a speech on Thursday, according to a statement from the group reported by Reuters on Wednesday.
This comes after bomb blasts occurred throughout Lebanon on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals and around 3,000 injuries, an incident many consider to be an assault by Israel.
Prominent carriers Lufthansa and Air France have declared a halt to their flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Beirut until Thursday amid rising tensions in the area following several explosions in Lebanon.
The German airline Lufthansa announced that it will stop all flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran, the capital of Iran. Meanwhile, Air France, the French airline, has also halted its flights to Israel's Tel Aviv and to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
"Lufthansa announced that, because of the recent shift in security conditions, they have chosen to halt all flights to and from Tel Aviv (TLV) and Tehran (IKA) starting immediately."
"It is valid until and including September 19," it stated.
Air France announced in a statement to AFP that it is halting flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to both Beirut, Lebanon, and Tel Aviv, Israel, due to safety concerns in those areas. This suspension will remain in effect until September 19.
Air France stated that it would “assess the situation in the Middle East on a daily basis” and emphasized that “ensuring the safety of our passengers and staff is our top priority.”
Antony Blinken Touches Down In Egypt
According to reports, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo early Wednesday. This visit is part of his scheduled trip to the region with the goal of negotiating a hard-to-obtain ceasefire in Gaza.
During his tenth visit to the Middle East since the onset of the Gaza conflict nearly a year ago, Blinken will discuss negotiation initiatives with officials in Egypt, as stated by the US State Department. These efforts faced additional challenges on Wednesday due to the recent surge of explosions in Lebanon.
Blinken is anticipated to have a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and conduct a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. However, he will not be traveling to Israel during this diplomatic effort.
U.S. officials have privately expressed that they don’t anticipate any significant progress from the discussions scheduled for Wednesday in Cairo. However, Blinken's trip will focus on maintaining the push for an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
"He's scheduled to meet with Egyptian officials to discuss various topics, but a key focus will be developing a proposal that we believe could gain approval from both sides," stated Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department.
Following the series of explosions in Lebanon, hospitals in areas controlled by Hezbollah are said to be struggling to manage the large number of injured people.
At a hospital in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an AFP reporter observed patients receiving care in a parking lot, lying on flimsy mattresses. Medical gloves were scattered on the ground, and ambulance stretchers were stained with blood.
"I've never witnessed anyone walking down the street and suddenly explode," said Musa, a local from the southern suburbs, who asked to be referred to by just his first name.
According to the family and a source affiliated with the group, a 10-year-old girl, whose father is a member of Hezbollah, lost her life in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon when his pager detonated.
According to a source with ties to Hezbollah who wished to remain unnamed due to the sensitive nature of the information, a son of the group's lawmaker, Ali Ammar, was also among the deceased.
According to Iranian state media, the ambassador of Tehran in Beirut was injured, but his wounds were not severe.
So far, there have been nine fatalities and nearly 3,000 people have been injured.
Hezbollah is recognized for relying on pagers for communication since, unlike cell phones, pagers can avoid being tracked and monitored by Israeli intelligence.
Yossi Melman, one of the writers of Spies Against Armageddon, pointed out that many members of Hezbollah used these pagers, not just the high-ranking leaders.
Experts consider a security breach of this magnitude to be extremely embarrassing and demoralizing for the militant group. Reports indicate that among those injured in the attack is Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani.
Jonathan Panikoff, the former deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East in the US government, stated that this could very well be Hezbollah's largest failure in counterintelligence in many years.
Hezbollah's Pagers Were 'Made In Europe,' Says Maker
The Taiwanese company associated with the pagers that detonated during a deadly attack on Hezbollah has stated that the devices were produced by a European firm. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has accused Israel of responsibility and promised to carry out retaliatory strikes.
After the incident, photos of the pagers surfaced, showing stickers on the back that matched those found on devices produced by the Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, as noted in a report by Reuters.
On Wednesday, Hsu Ching-Kuang, the founder of the company, clarified that they were not the ones who produced the pagers. Instead, he stated that a European company, authorized to use their brand, was responsible for making them. "The product doesn't belong to us; it just has our brand label," he explained. "We pride ourselves on being a responsible business, and this situation is quite embarrassing for us," he added.
Hezbollah To Keep Supporting Gaza Operations
Hezbollah in Lebanon announced early Wednesday that it will persist with its "blessed operations in support of Gaza," similar to its actions in recent days, following a devastating series of bomb explosions that resulted in nine fatalities and left thousands injured.
"The process continues and is distinct from the tough consequences that the criminal adversary will face for its actions on Tuesday," the group stated in a message shared on Telegram.
On Tuesday, numerous pagers belonging to Hezbollah members went off in explosions throughout Lebanon, and the organization has attributed the incidents to Israel.
The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response to the series of explosions that occurred shortly after Israel declared it was expanding its objectives in the conflict, initially ignited by Hamas’s attacks on October 7, to also target Hezbollah along its border with Lebanon.
Hello and thank you for joining us as we continue to report on the situation in the Middle East.
Hezbollah declared that it will carry on with its efforts to assist Gaza, following a devastating series of explosions from detonated devices that resulted in 9 fatalities and left nearly 3,000 individuals injured.
"The journey continues independently from the hard truth that the criminal adversary will have to face for its horrific actions on Tuesday," the group stated in a message on Telegram.
Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, has accused Israel of being responsible for a rare security incident where thousands of pagers went off in Lebanon. The Israeli military has chosen not to provide any remarks regarding the explosions.
We'll get into that shortly, but first, let's recap the key events from today.
On Tuesday, a 10-year-old girl was among the deceased, as stated by Lebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad. The most recent statistics from officials report around 2,750 people injured, primarily in the face and hands. Among the injured is Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian ambassador to Beirut.
Hezbollah combatants in Syria sustained injuries during the assault, with numerous individuals allegedly receiving medical care in hospitals located in Damascus. The Saberin News, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, indicated that a number of guards in Syria had also lost their lives.
The recent pager explosions throughout Lebanon represent a "very troubling increase in tensions," according to Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN's special coordinator for the country. Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, emphasized the "highly unstable" environment surrounding these incidents.
A Hezbollah representative stated that the explosion of the pagers represented the most significant security lapse for the organization in nearly a year of fighting against Israel. The blasts seemed to take advantage of the simple pagers that Hezbollah had started using to protect its members from targeted killings. Lebanon's foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, mentioned that the nation is preparing for a strong response from Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has promised to respond to Israel's actions, declaring that they consider the Israeli forces entirely accountable for this violent attack, which affected innocent civilians as well. Reports indicate that the son of Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar was among those who died in the blasts, along with two sons of other notable members of the group.
The Israeli military had no immediate response regarding the explosions. The incident occurred only a few hours after Israel revealed it was expanding its objectives in the conflict that began with the Hamas attacks on October 7 to also target Hezbollah.
Lebanon's health ministry has placed hospitals nationwide on high alert and advised the public to stay away from wireless communication devices. Additionally, schools in the country will be closed on Wednesday.
The US government stated that it did not have prior knowledge of the incident. During a briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned that Washington was not implicated and was unaware of who was behind it. He also noted that it was “too soon to determine” the potential impact on the ongoing ceasefire discussions regarding Gaza.
The Foreign Office has called for a measured response and steps to reduce tensions. A representative from the FCDO stated: “We are keeping a close eye on the situation in Lebanon and collaborating with diplomatic and humanitarian organizations in the area. The loss of civilian lives from these blasts is truly heartbreaking.”
