A pager explosion in Lebanon has killed nine people and injured around 2,800

On the afternoon of the 17th local time, during the ministerial meeting of the Lebanese caretaker government, the Lebanese capital Beirut and many places in the southeast and northeast of Lebanon took place. Lebanon’s public health Minister Abyad said the explosion had killed nine people and injured about 2,800, of whom about 200 were in critical condition.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued a statement holding Israel “fully responsible” for the pager explosion and vowing to retaliate. In addition, the Lebanese caretaker government also condemned the incident on the same day.

So far, Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

At present, hospitals in the Lebanese capital Beirut and other places have received a large number of injured people. The Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health issued an urgent statement asking all people carrying pagers to throw them away immediately.

The Israeli government has not yet responded to the incident

So far, Israeli officials have not commented on the incident. However, according to Israeli media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant held a security assessment meeting in Tel Aviv on the 17th. An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media that the security assessment meeting focused on Israel’s response to a possible escalation of tensions triggered by the Lebanon bombing. Israeli military officials have stressed offensive and defensive readiness in all areas.

The U.S. State Department said the United States was not involved in the bombing

On the 17th local time, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said at a briefing on the same day that the United States is collecting information about the pager explosion in Lebanon, and stressed that the United States was not involved. Miller also said the United States does not have an assessment of who might be behind the pager explosion.

Iranian Foreign Minister: Condemns Israel’s terrorist acts against Lebanese citizens

On the 17th local time, after the pager explosion occurred in many places in Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Araghi and Lebanese Foreign Minister Ali Habib spoke on the phone. Arraghi strongly condemned the terrorist acts perpetrated by Israel against Lebanese citizens. He noted that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was injured in the bombing.

In addition, he expressed his condolences to the Government of Lebanon and the families of the victims of the bombing, and expressed Iran’s readiness to provide necessary medical treatment and assistance to the injured.