14 dead, 450 injured in Lebanon on second day of pager attacks
Top Israeli officials, while not addressing the mass explosions, have said that the war is shifting from Gaza to the northern border
Funeral ceremony held for 4 people who were killed in Lebanon when pagers used by Hezbollah members were detonated, in Dahiyeh neighborhood, south Beirut, Sept. 18, 2024. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
By Ron Kampeas September 18, 2024
(JTA) — Hundreds of electronic devices held by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon exploded for the second straight day, killing 14 people and wounding 450, in a continuation of a mass attack that the terror group has blamed on Israel.
The devices exploding on Wednesday were two way radios and walkie talkies carried by Hezbollah operatives, some of the attending the funerals of 12 people killed by the first round of blasts the day before, which involved pagers distributed to Hezbollah members. Wednesday’s explosions also targeted solar equipment.
Top Israeli officials have not addressed the mass explosions directly, but have alluded to it. In an address at the Israel Defense Forces’ Northern Command on Wednesday, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, “We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated.”
And Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the focus of the nearly yearlong war is shifting from fighting Hamas in Gaza to fighting Hezbollah on the northern border.
“We are at the start of a new phase in the war — we are allocating resources and forces to the northern arena and our mission is clear: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he tweeted Wednesday. “To do so, the security situation must be changed.”
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire since shortly after Oct. 7, when Hezbollah began shooting missiles across the border following Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel. Dozens of civilians, in addition to 20 Israeli soldiers and hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, have been killed in the clashes on Israel’s northern border. Israel had reportedly planned for the pager attack to be the opening shot of a broader war against the terror group, but executed it early after concerns that Hezbollah had discovered the plot.
Hospital officials said most of the wounded in Tuesday’s attack were adult males, suggesting that most victims were members of Hezbollah, though two children were also killed in the attack. The two rounds of mass attacks have devastated Hezbollah, a regional proxy of Iran, and the group has vowed revenge.
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