After pager attack – Second wave of explosions shocks Lebanon – 20 dead – Politics

Beirut (dpa) – According to authorities, 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured in renewed explosions involving numerous electronic devices in Lebanon. As on the previous day, many members of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah were hit, according to Lebanese security sources.

Already on Tuesday, hundreds of pagers exploded simultaneously in several places in Lebanon, some of which people were carrying in their pockets. Around 2,800 people were injured and at least 12 stars were lost. Hezbollah blamed Israel for Tuesday's attack and vowed retaliation. Israel itself did not comment on the matter. Israel also did not initially comment on Wednesday's explosions.

In view of the situation, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting. According to diplomatic sources, the most powerful body of the United Nations is scheduled to meet on Friday at 9 p.m. CEST.

Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant announced a “new phase” of the war with a focus on the north.

New explosions during funeral ceremonies

The second wave of explosions hit Lebanon in the late afternoon. While funerals for the victims of the previous day were being held in the southern Beirut suburb, the new explosions were reported. Hezbollah sources said that “wireless devices such as walkie-talkies” had exploded.

Videos on social media show panic spreading during the funeral ceremony after loud bangs were heard. Senior Hezbollah official Hashim Safieddine said in response to the pager exploding the previous day: “This aggression has its own punishment and retribution, and the punishment will come.” Hezbollah had previously announced retaliation. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will address the public on Thursday.

Many houses and cars damaged

Sounds of explosions were also heard in the port city of Tyre in the south of the country, according to people on the ground. Numerous ambulances were deployed. Local media also reported explosions in Sidon and other places in the south of the country. The Lebanese Civil Defense said its teams were deployed in the south and east of the country and in the southern suburbs of Beirut to extinguish fires in cars, shops and other buildings. These areas are mainly controlled by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government had previously declared that it was preparing for a possible major attack. The head of the government's emergency committee, Nasser Yassin, said, according to the Lebanese news agency NNA: “We have presented possible scenarios in the event of foreign Israeli attacks.” The Ministry of Education has presented a list of around 100 schools that could serve as emergency shelters. According to government sources, food reserves in Lebanon are sufficient for more than three months.

UN Secretary-General sees signs of “dramatic escalation”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres sees the explosions as evidence of a massive impending escalation in the Middle East. “The logic behind exploding all this equipment is, of course, to do this as a preemptive strike before a major military operation,” Guterres said in New York.

There is a “serious risk of dramatic escalation,” Guterres continued. Everything must be done to prevent this. Guterres spoke at a press conference and referred to Tuesday's explosions – news of the more recent detonations trickled in during the event.

The UN Human Rights Office had already condemned the first attack allegedly coordinated by Israel as “shocking”. It violated international human rights standards to carry out an attack on thousands of people simultaneously without knowing who had the device with them at the time of the attack or where and in what environment the person was revealing themselves. It could also be a violation of international humanitarian law. Final determinations as to whether an act violates international humanitarian law can only be made by courts.

Mutual shelling at the border continues

In recent months there have been repeated fears that the months of shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli military could turn into a second, major theater of war alongside the Gaza war. Since the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Islamist Hamas began almost a year ago, there have been almost daily military confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah. The situation had already escalated significantly before the explosions in Lebanon.

On Wednesday there was also mutual shelling. Hezbollah says it is acting in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel's army announced that more than 30 missiles had been fired from Lebanon towards Israel. There were no reports of any recent ones. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli targets. The Lebanese state agency NNA reported several Israeli attacks on locations in southern Lebanon.

Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant has already announced a “new phase” of the war. The focus is on the front in the north, where the army is fighting with Hezbollah, several media reported, citing Galant's office. Forces and resources are to be moved to the north, Israeli media quoted Galant as saying. He reminded Israel of its recently defined war goal: the return of refugees to the border region.

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