Fresh attack on Hezbollah’s devices kills 14 across Lebanon
Men carry the coffin of Abbas Fadel Yassin, who was killed by the detonation of pagers across Lebanon, during his funeral in Beirut, on 18 September 2024
Nader Durgham and Josephine Deeb in Beirut and Rayhan Uddin in London report in Middle East Eye on 18 September 2024:
At least 14 people were killed and hundreds wounded on Wednesday when handheld radios used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon, in the latest Israeli attack on the Lebanese movement.
Exploding devices were reported from Tyre and Saida in the south to Sohmor in Lebanon’s east, setting fire to buildings and vehicles, and wounding at least 450 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
In Beirut’s southern suburbs, one blast struck while hundreds of mourners gathered at a funeral organised by Hezbollah for those killed in a near-identical attack the day before, where thousands of pagers used by the movement detonated.
Twelve people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded in Tuesday’s blasts, an incident that drew horror and fury from Lebanese across the political divide. Two children and four health workers were among those killed by the pagers.
As the sound of the explosion echoed over the tightly secured funeral site on Wednesday evening, the crowd dispersed in panic, with roads out of Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, becoming congested as cars tried to leave the scene.
Ambulances and fire trucks raced through the city for the second time in two days. “I am now just going to see if my family is okay,” a man who fled the funeral told Middle East Eye, explaining that his relatives live in a building frequented by Hezbollah members. Dahiyeh is a large area home to many of the party’s supporters and members. “Dude, throw away that device of yours,” MEE overheard one man saying to another.
Though Israel has not commented directly on the device attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he promised the thousands of Israelis displaced by cross-border fighting would return to their homes. Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, said: “We are opening a new phase in the war.”
Israel and Hezbollah, a movement born out of resistance to Israel’s 1982-2000 occupation of south Lebanon, have been fighting for almost a year. Their latest conflict began when Hezbollah started firing rockets at Israel to help relieve pressure on Hamas as the Israeli military began its war on Gaza in October 2023. The fighting has killed hundreds of Lebanese, mostly Hezbollah fighters, and dozens of Israelis.
Though Israel regularly threatens to invade Lebanon in response, Hezbollah insists it does not seek escalation and will end its strikes once the Israelis agree to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.