CAIRO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday denied reports that the United States had any prior knowledge or involvement in Tuesday’s deadly pager explosions across Lebanon which killed at least 12 people and injured over 2,800.
Hezbollah blamed its arch-foe Israel, a key ally of the United States, for the pager explosions and vowed to punish Israel for the attack.
During a press conference in Cairo alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Blinken said that a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict was critical to containing violence across the Middle East. “We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to address risks to regional stability,” he stated.
Blinken described the explosions in Lebanon as deeply concerning and said that the United States was still gathering facts about the situation. Both he and Abdelatty called for all parties to avoid actions that could further escalate the conflict, underscoring the urgent need for a ceasefire to defuse regional tensions.
Meanwhile, Iran has accused Israel of “mass murder” following paging devices belonging to Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded. Iran’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nasser Kanani said in a statement that he denounced the terrorist act of “the Zionist regime” as an example of mass killing.
Among those injured in the pager explosions on Tuesday was Iran’s envoy to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani, with Iranian press reporting he suffered wounds to the face and hand.” State-run television reported that Amani was only lightly wounded.
According to media reports, the Iranian Red Crescent had dispatched rescue teams and surgeons to Lebanon to provide medical treatment to the injured people.
The explosions came just hours following Israel’s announcement that it was broadening the aims of the Gaza war to include its fight against the group’s ally along with its border with Lebanon.
In his statement, Nasser Kanani expressed solidarity with the families of the victims of the blasts including the Iranian envoy. “Combating the terrorist actions of the Israeli regime and the threats arising from them is an obvious necessity,” Kanani maintained. “It is a must for the world to act quickly in order to counter the impunity of the Zionist criminal authorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemned the attacks, which he described as having indiscriminate collateral damage among civilians.
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“Even if the attacks seem to have been targeted, they had heavy, indiscriminate collateral damages among civilians, including children among the victims,” he stated. He expressed concern about the risk of an all-out war that could destabilize the entire region.
The pager explosions occurred amidst heightened hostilities between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad reported that many of those affected were civilians, including children and medical personnel.
The attack placed immense strain on the Lebanese healthcare system, with hospitals across the country overwhelmed by the sudden influx of casualties. Minister Abiad noted that 300 of the injured were in critical condition and that the health services were in dire need of increased preparedness for potential further escalations.
Minister Abiad highlighted that Lebanon’s medical facilities had mobilized extensively in response, with over 1,084 ambulances deployed and patients distributed across at least 100 hospitals. He emphasized the need for the health sector to enhance its preparedness and stockpiles of essential supplies, indicating a looming concern about further violence.
