Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate as it blames Israel for the attack. (Photo: Bloomberg)
On a day thousands of pagers, used by the militant group Hezbollah, went off across Lebanon, Israel warned the United States that a military operation would be carried out in Lebanon but gave no details, officials said Thursday. This explosion resulted in at least nine deaths and 3,000 injuries and was followed by more explosions of walkie-talkies and solar systems the next day, resulting in more injuries.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on Tuesday first and then three times amid concerns that the latest escalation could spark further tensions in West Asia. The US said it was not involved in the attack and was surprised by the details of the operations.
Pagers are small electronic devices that rely on radio signals to communicate. Hezbollah was using them to avoid being followed by Israel.
Updates on what is happening in West Asia
1) Meanwhile, Hezbollah has vowed to take revenge as it blames Israel for the attack. Although Israel has not officially confirmed its role, the New York Times report says that it is indeed behind the entire operation and has been planning it since 2022. This means that Israel’s so-called Lebanon operation began a year before the Gaza war broke out, according to the current source. increasing conflicts in the region.
2) On Thursday evening, Hezbollah and Israel again attacked each other after the leader of the terrorist group, Hassan Nasrallah, described the attack as a heavy blow and promised revenge.
3) To be clear, while Israel has not yet confirmed its involvement, it has not denied it either. Regarding Thursday’s attack, Israel said it targeted a number of rocket launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure. Reports indicated that Israeli warplanes were flying low over Beirut as Hezbollah chief Nasrallah spoke, breaking the noise barrier and causing chaos in the region.
4) With Hezbollah’s greater participation in the conflict, Iran, which supports the terrorist group, may also become involved. Therefore, during the US-Israel talks, Austin emphasized US support for Israel while making efforts to strike a hostage deal with Hamas, the terrorist group involved in the Gaza war with Israel.
5) Although the US has not announced any plan to relocate its citizens to Lebanon, it has been warned to keep a low profile. Officials said US Navy ships with Marines are already well positioned in the Mediterranean Sea to help if asked.
First published: Sep 20 2024 | 10:41 AM IST