Nine people including an eight year old girl has been killed and thousands injured in a devastating attack on Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, following the detonation of pagers carried by hundreds of members.
The incident happened in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine persons and injuring 2800. Hezbollah fighters in Syria were also injured, with dozens receiving treatment in Damascus hospitals.
A Hezbollah official indicated that the detonation of the pagers was the group’s most serious security failure in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.
The attack took place just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by the 7 October Hamas attacks to include its fight against Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s health ministry put hospitals across the country on “maximum alert” and instructed citizens to distance themselves from wireless communication devices.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, claiming that two of its fighters were among the dead and threatened a “just punishment.”
The group has also reported the deaths of the son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar and two sons of other prominent Hezbollah figures.
It is too early to say how it will affect Gaza ceasefire talks. The US government has however stated that it was not involved in the incident and does not know who is responsible.
It is too early to predict how it would affect the Gaza ceasefire talks. The US government has, however, declared that it was not involved in the incident and does not know who is responsible.
Written by Cheta Enyoghasi
