Article content material
BEIRUT (AP) — Dozens of individuals have been wounded in Beirut’s suburbs and different elements of Lebanon after their handheld pagers exploded Tuesday, Lebanese state media and safety officers stated. It wasn’t instantly clear if folks have been killed.
Commercial 2
Article content material
A senior navy intelligence official and an official with a Lebanese group with data of the scenario, each of whom spoke on situation of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the scenario stated that pagers carried by Hezbollah members have been detonated. The second official stated it was believed to be an Israeli assault.
The Related Press reached out to the Israeli navy, which declined to remark.
Photographs and movies from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in native media confirmed folks mendacity on the pavement with wounds on their arms or close to their pants pockets.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah beforehand warned the group’s members to not carry cellphones, saying that they could possibly be utilized by Israel to trace their actions and to hold out focused strikes.
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
Lebanon’s Well being Ministry referred to as on all hospitals to be on alert to absorb emergency sufferers and for individuals who personal pagers to get away from them. It additionally requested well being staff to keep away from utilizing wi-fi units.
AP photographers at space hospitals stated the emergency rooms have been overloaded with sufferers, lots of them with accidents to their limbs, some in severe situation.
The state-run Nationwide Information Company stated hospitals in southern Lebanon, the japanese Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs _ all areas the place Hezbollah has a robust presence — had referred to as on folks to donate blood of every kind.
The information company reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and different areas “the hand-held pagers system was detonated utilizing superior know-how, and dozens of accidents have been reported.”
Commercial 4
Article content material
A Hezbollah official stated that not less than 150 folks, together with members of the group, have been wounded in several elements of Lebanon when the pagers they have been carrying exploded. The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he was not approved to talk to the media, stated the explosions have been the results of “a safety operation that focused the units.”
“The enemy (Israel) stands behind this safety incident,” the official stated, with out elaborating. He added that the brand new pagers that Hezbollah members have been carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.
Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, soften and even catch on hearth. Rechargeable lithium batteries are utilized in shopper merchandise starting from cellphones and laptops to electrical vehicles. Lithium battery fires can burn as much as 590 C (1,100 F).
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for greater than 11 months towards the backdrop of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.
The clashes have killed a whole lot in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of 1000’s on each side of the border.
Article content material