Back-to-Back Attacks
- On Tuesday, September 17, thousands of walkie-talkie and pager devices in Lebanon, many held by Hezbollah members, exploded near-synchronously, killing 12 people and wounding at least 3,000 more across the country and several provinces in Syria.
- A second wave of attacks occurred almost 24 hours later on Wednesday, September 18, killing 20 more people and another 450 wounded.
- These explosions affected large crowds gathered for the funerals of victims of the previous day’s attack.
- According to Reuters, security sources have alleged that the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, is responsible for the attack; the Israeli military has declined to comment.
Responses from Leaders
- On Wednesday, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that the military will be shifting their efforts to the northern border, expressing his belief that the IDF is “at the onset of a new phase in this war, and we need to adapt.”
- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech on Thursday that labeled the pager explosions as “terrorist attacks” that cross “all red lines” and has called for a punishing response.
- During his speech, Israeli fighter jets conducted mock raids over Lebanon.
- U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has “expressed frustrations” over the escalations that threaten the ceasefire process that is ongoing with involvement from Egypt and other international partners.
- According to a U.S. official, Israel informed the United States after the explosions.
(Banner image: Khamenei.ir)
