Lebanon suffers 3 deadly attacks in 4 days
ANKARA
In a matter of four days, Lebanon has suffered three deadly and unprecedented attacks that left at least 49 people killed and 2,997 others injured.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, a series of explosions involving wireless communication devices, including pagers and two-way radios, used by the Hezbollah group occurred across Lebanon, while on Friday, a deadly airstrike on Beirut’s Southern Suburb area heavily damaged buildings and killed over a dozen people.
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah both blame Israel for the attacks, though Tel Aviv has remained silent over the matter. Hezbollah has vowed retaliation, as its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah vowing to turn Israel’s actions into “hell.”
(1) Cellular device blasts – Sept. 17
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Detonated pagers, Gold Apollo AR-924, used by… pic.twitter.com/qgBXNtohBl
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) September 17, 2024
On Tuesday, thousands of pager communication devices, mostly used by Hezbollah for wireless communication, simultaneously exploded across Lebanon.
Twelve people were killed and 2,323 others injured, according to Lebanese Health Ministry figures.
Several media reports suggested that the cause of the blasts was explosives implanted inside the devices before they reached Lebanon.
(2) Icom walkie-talkie blasts – Sept. 18
A day later, on Wednesday, thousands of Icom walkie-talkie units used by the group also simultaneously exploded across Lebanon.
The blasts killed more 25 and injured 608 others, according to the Health Ministry.
Explosions reported in Lebanon near the funeral site of 4 Hezbollah fighters, with reports of blasts in various locations across the country pic.twitter.com/2HCmvCPU4q
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) September 18, 2024
The cause of these explosions was similar to that of the pagers as they were also implanted inside the walkie-talkies.
Hezbollah and Lebanese security said they were investigating both incidents.
(3) Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut – Sept. 20
An Israeli airstrike on Friday killed at least 12 people in Beirut’s Southern Suburb region and injured 66 others, including eight in critical condition, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli army, for its part, claimed to have targeted and killed Ibrahim Aqil, a top Hezbollah military commander.
💢 At least 9 killed, including 5 children and 59 injured in Israeli airstrike on southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon
➡️ 4 Israeli missiles target building in Beirut’s southern suburb
➡️ Operation target in Beirut is Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah’s head of operations: Israeli security… pic.twitter.com/i35OdjydnB
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) September 20, 2024
Hezbollah is yet comment on the airstrike.
The three deadly attacks came amid an escalation in cross-border warfare with Israel since the start of Tel Aviv’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, were killed following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.
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