Updated at 7:40 am Eastern Time on 9/18/24
At least 12 people have been killed, and 2,750 have been wounded in Lebanon after pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded at the same time in a coordinated Israeli attack. Pagers also exploded in Syria, where unconfirmed reports say at least 14 people were wounded.
At least two children were killed in the attack in Lebanon: a nine-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. Among the wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, who suffered a “superficial injury,” according to Iranian media. At least 300 of those injured are in critical condition.
“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said.
The Lebanese government has also pointed the finger at Israel, calling the indiscriminate attack an act of “Israeli aggression.” Israel has not taken credit, but according to Axios, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted Israel was responsible in a now-deleted tweet.
US officials later told The New York Times that Israel was responsible for the attack and planted explosives and a detonator switch in the pagers.
The Axios report said that Netanyahu’s office had cautioned government ministers not to speak publicly about the situation for the time being. The attack came as Israeli officials were threatening to escalate in Lebanon.
According to The Associated Press, the pagers that exploded had been recently acquired by Hezbollah as the group’s leaders warned against using cell phones that could be easily tracked by Israeli intelligence.
A Hezbollah official told AP that the pagers were a brand that they hadn’t used before. The US officials speaking to the Times said the pagers were ordered from Gold Apollo, a company in Taiwan.
The pagers began heating up and exploding around 3:30 pm local time. Blasts were reported in homes, crowded streets, markets, and other areas where civilians would be located.
