Mayhem across Lebanon after simultaneous pager blasts
Hospitals have been flooded by dead and wounded as people are exploding on roads after simultaneous ‘pager blasts’ in Lebanon bordering Israel
Beirut: Hospitals have been flooded by dead and wounded as people are exploding on roads and in markets after simultaneous ‘pager blasts’ in Lebanon bordering Israel.
At least 9 people, including a girl child, have died. Over 2,800 others have been injured. At least 200 of those injured are in critical conditions, according to Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who is also among those injured.
The 8-year-old girl, who is among the dead, has been identified as Fatima Jafar Abdullah.
Video footage and clips shared on social media showed the wounded being taken to hospitals in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Many were seen assembling in front of hospitals and health centers to assist the injured.
Lebanon has blamed Israel for first of its kind blasts where a handheld device manufactured for common use has been used as warfare.
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Media reports said people who were carrying pagers noticed them heating up before the explosions took place.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, said the pagers belonged “to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions” and confirmed the deaths of eight fighters, BBC reported.
The group blamed Israel for what it called “this criminal aggression” and vowed that it would get “just retribution”.
The Israeli military declined to comment. But, a U.S. official said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — in which small amounts of explosive secreted in the pagers were detonated — on Tuesday after it was concluded, according to Associated Press.
Gold Apollo Pagers
The pagers were manufactured by Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, but they were tampered with before reaching Lebanon, some of the officials claimed.
Most of the pagers were the company’s AP924 model, though three other Gold Apollo models were also in the shipment, according to the report.
As little as 3 to 6 grams of explosive material was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two of the sources said, while a detonator was also embedded that could be triggered remotely.
According to media reporters, most of those dead and injured are members of Hezbollah.
Media reports said Israel managed to intercept the cargo of pagers and weaponise them. It compromised one of the device’s components somewhere in the supply chain.
Israel targeted the microprocessors and “overloaded” them, causing the battery to blow up, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese health ministry has asked all its medical workers in Beirut and southern Lebanon to remain on alert and respond to all emergency medical cases.
The ministry has also urged all pager owners to dispose of their devices with immediate effect, Press TV reported.
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