Lebanon sees rising casualties from pager explosions
Another person has died in Lebanon as a result of the pager explosion wave, according to Reuters.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the death toll from the pager detonations has risen to nine. The number of injured remains at approximately 2,750 individuals.
The pager explosions occurred in the south of the country, in the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahieh, and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. These areas are strongholds of Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on the explosion situation. Hezbollah confirmed that among the dead were at least two of its fighters and a young girl.
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert expressed concern over the incident, calling it an "extremely concerning escalation."
The United States stated that it was not involved in the explosions and does not know who was responsible for the incident.
Escalation in the Middle East
Following the Hamas terrorist attack from the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Hezbollah militants began regular large-scale bombardments of Israeli territory. A conflict erupted between the group and the Israeli military.
On September 17, hundreds of Hezbollah militants in Lebanon experienced pager explosions, which they use for internal communication.
In late August, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel. The militants retaliated for the killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.
Before the attack, around 100 Israeli fighter jets thwarted an Islamist operation.
Hezbollah regularly targets northern Israel with rockets and drones. The IDF responds with strikes on terrorist military targets in retaliation.