Beirut: At least eight people, including the son of a Hezbollah MP, were killed and more than 2,700 wounded in Beirut suburbs and elsewhere in Lebanon after their portable pagers exploded, marking a major security breach. The incident occurred on Tuesday and the death toll is likely to rise, according to sources. Lebanese state media and security officials reported. A senior military intelligence official and an official from a Lebanese group claimed that the pagers carried by Hezbollah members were detonated and it is believed to be an Israeli attack.
However, the Israeli defence forces have not made any comment on the explosion incident in Lebanon. Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media show people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their trouser pockets.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has previously warned members of the group not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted attacks.
Government asks hospital health workers to avoid using wireless devices
Lebanon’s health ministry has asked all hospitals to be on standby for emergency patients and for people with pagers to stay away from them. It has also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.
AP photographers at area hospitals said emergency rooms were overwhelmed with patients, many with limb injuries, some in critical condition.
The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs, all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence, had asked people to donate blood of all types.
The news agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas, “the portable paging system was detonated using advanced technology and dozens of people were reported injured.”
A Hezbollah official said at least 150 people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when the pagers they were carrying exploded. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the explosions were the result of “a security operation targeting the devices.”
“The enemy (Israel) is behind this security incident,” the official said, without giving further details. He added that the new pagers carried by Hezbollah members had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.
Lithium batteries, when heated too much, can smoke, melt, and even catch fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cell phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can reach temperatures of up to 590°C (1100°F).
The incident comes at a time of rising tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing almost daily for more than 11 months amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah’s ally Hamas in Gaza.
The fighting has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, and displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. On Tuesday, Israel said that stopping Hezbollah attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes was now an official aim of the war.
(With contributions from AP)
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