VIDEO: At least nine people were killed after hundreds of Hezbollah members' trackers exploded in Lebanon and Syria

The Lebanese government also confirmed 2.800 wounded. The Iranian-backed movement attributed the explosions to an “Israeli operation.”

By Ines Ehulech y Andrea Bonzo

Thousands of members of Hezbollah were injured this Tuesday by the almost simultaneous explosion of their messaging locators in various regions of Lebanon y Syria, local officials and sources from the Lebanese terrorist group backed by Iran.

A source close to Hezbollah attributed the explosions to an “Israeli” hacking of communications. Israel has not yet commented on the incident, which left some 1,000 dead. 2.800 wounded y at least 9 dead, as cited by the agency AFP to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

This is the first such incident since Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian group Hamas, and Israel have been engaged in almost daily artillery duels since the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly a year ago.

Below is the coverage of the event:

23:49 hs

Egypt stressed the importance of preserving Lebanon's security

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Egyptian, Badr Abdelati, spoke on Tuesday with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Nayib Mikati, and expressed his solidarity after what happened. In this regard, he mentioned that the president Abdel Fattah al Sisi offered to provide Beirut with all necessary support and expressed its interest in achieving security and stability in Lebanon, in pursuit of prevent violations of its sovereignty from “any external party”.

Since Iraq, the Prime Minister also contacted Beirut and offered his help to assist the victims - the first of these shipments arriving at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday - although it was a step further in his rhetoric and he aligned himself with the terrorist groups in the region, which were quick to denounce a “Zionist cyber attack”.

"These developments, in addition to other ongoing threats and attacks committed by the usurping entity, and the threat of launching a full-scale war against Lebanon, are matters that require urgent international intervention,” Iraqi government spokesman Basem al Awadi said, according to the agency Nina.

23:05 hs

The first theories about the explosions of Hezbollah terrorists' trackers in Lebanon and Syria

International experts believe that the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, "infiltrated the supply chain" of the devices

The simultaneous explosion of the pagers (beepers) of hundreds of Hezbollah members in Lebanon and Syria It seems to be the result of a infiltration in the logistics chain of pro-Iranian terrorist group and would constitute a new success for the Israeli secret services.

23:01 hs

Lufthansa has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv for fear of an escalation

The airline Lufthansa suspended its flights to Tel Aviv y Tehran until September 19 for fear of an escalation in the region.

“Due to the recent change in the security situation, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group have decided to suspend all connections to and from Tel Aviv (TLV) and Tehran (IKA) with immediate effect. This applies until 19 September inclusive,” the statement said.

At the same time, “Israeli and Iranian airspace will also be avoided by all Lufthansa Group airlines,” he added.

The decision will be evaluated in the next few hours.

Air France has also cancelled some of its services for the next 48 hours.

22: 32 hs

The Lebanese government announced the closure of schools and universities in the country

Following the explosions on Tuesday, the Lebanese Minister of Education, Abbas Halabi, decreed the Closure of all schools and universities, both public and private, of the country for this Wednesday. The decision, he explained, is in the form of a “protest” against the “unprecedented massacre against the Lebanese people”.

21:45 hs

Hamas also expressed solidarity with Hezbollah over the “Zionist terrorist aggression”

Hamas, the main terrorist group fighting Israel, also accused the Jewish state of having provoked the explosions of the last few hours and expressed its condemnation of what happened.

"We strongly condemn the Zionist terrorist aggression targeting Lebanese citizens by detonating communication devices in several areas of Lebanese territory,” which They did not distinguish “between resistance fighters and civilians”, the group noted.

“We appreciate the struggle and sacrifices of our brothers in Hezbollah and their insistence on maintaining support for our Palestinian people in Gaza”, closes the statement.

21:14 hs

Yemen's Houthis described the blasts as a "violation of Lebanese sovereignty"

The Yemen Houthis, another pro-Iranian terrorist militia, accused Israel of having caused the explosions that killed at least nine people and injured more than 2.800, and described them as “a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”

“We are confident that Lebanon is capable of face all challenges and has a resistance capable of to persuade the enemy Zionist entity, and make it pay a high price for any escalation it undertakes against Lebanon”, said the group's spokesman, Mohamed Abdelsalam, adding his condolences "to the families of the martyrs."

21:07 hs

The US denied involvement in the explosions and asked not to escalate tensions

United States denied this Tuesday having been involved or having prior knowledge of the explosions that occurred in Lebanon and Syria, targeting Hezbollah members.

“I can tell you that The United States was not involved in it.. USA I was not aware of this incident in advance “And we are currently gathering information,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller began.

He then called on Iran not to escalate tensions in the region and to avoid any retaliatory action that could lead to a larger conflict.

“We urge Iran not to exploit any incident to try to add to the instability and further escalate tensions in the region.”, He said.

21:03 hs

Israel remains alert, but unchanged

Israel's military and top officials in the war cabinet held a meeting on Tuesday following reports of the explosions in Syria and Lebanon, but made no mention of any change in their stance, despite the fact that they were blamed for the action and the subsequent threats that were unleashed.

The Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, made a “assessment of the situation” next to the military dome and put the “emphasis on preparation for attack and defense in all areas”, although without new announcements.

"In this point, There are no changes in the guidelines of the Home Front Command. Must be keep vigilance and any changes in policy will be announced immediately," the Defence Forces said.

20:59 hs

Iran condemns explosions and extends solidarity to Lebanon

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, spoke with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdullah Bou Habib, and extended its solidarity to the people for the fatalities and the wounded, both in the country and in Syria.

According to the Persian state news agency IRNA, The official also accused Israel of being behind what happened and made Tehran's resources available to care for the wounded.

20:43 hs

Nine people have already died from the explosions

They rose to nine fatalities from the explosions of the locators in Lebanon and Syria, while 2.800 people were injured, 200 of them seriously, the agency reported. AFP citing the Beirut Ministry of Health.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 14 of the wounded, "of unknown nationalities", are in “Damascus and its surroundings”, specifically in the areas of Qalamoun and Sayeda Zeinab, with a significant Shiite population and a strong Hezbollah presence.

According to Minister Firass Abiad, most of the injuries occurred “on the face, on the hands, on the stomach and even on the eyes” of the victims.

An initial report had recorded eight dead and nearly 2.750 injured.

20:31 hs

Islamic Jihad also blamed Israel for the explosions

The Palestinian terrorist group Islamic jihad accused Israel of the explosions in Lebanon and Syria, describing them as “obvious war crimes.”

The fact that Israel “resorted to this option, within the framework of its psychological warfare, is an indicator of your level of frustration and the shortage of options "at its disposal, following the blows received from multiple fronts supporting the Palestinian people," the group said in a statement.

The document then states that "we fully trust that theIslamic Resistance in Lebanon and Syria will be able to absorb this cruel blow, quickly contain its consequences and Respond to the enemy in a manner proportional to the scale of the crime and the attack against civilians in their homes, especially against the families of Resistance fighters.”.

19: 58 hs

UN calls developments in Lebanon “extremely worrying”

UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said that the evolution of events in Lebanon is “extremely worrying”, especially considering the context “extremely volatile” which takes place after the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Dujarric added that The UN deplores any civilian casualties.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon He said he had started preparing a complaint to be submitted to the Security Council.

Lebanon and Hezbollah blame Israel, which remains silent on the matter.

19:55 hs

Hezbollah chief not injured in blasts

Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, was not injured in the wave of locator explosions in El Lebanon, as reported to Reuters a high-ranking source in the terrorist group.

19:31 hs

14 Hezbollah members wounded in Syria

El Syrian Observatory for Human Rights He said that at least 14 members of Hezbollah were injured in the explosions of the locators in Syria.

According to the NGO, based in the United Kingdom and with a wide network of collaborators on the ground, one of the explosions took place inside a vehicle which was circulating in the vicinity of the capital's Kafr Sousa neighborhood.

Earlier, Saberin News, an outlet affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported that Seven people had died in the neighborhood Seyedah Zeinab, a Shiite stronghold of the capital Damascus.

Hezbollah is present in Syria as an ally of the president, Bashar al Assad, and in recent months has been the target of a series of targeted Israeli attacks, including some against vehicles traveling in border areas with Lebanon.

19:22 hs

Hezbollah holds Israel “fully responsible” and vows revenge

Hezbollah blamed Israel by the explosions of locators that this Tuesday left hundreds injured in Lebanon and promised that this operation would have a "retribution".

“The Israeli enemy is fully responsible for this criminal aggression,” the organization said in a statement, adding that Israel “will undoubtedly receive its just punishment.”

The terrorist group said it reached this conclusion after investigating the facts and the available information.

The terrorist group swore take revenge for the “criminal aggression” which also targeted civilians.” His response, he added, will come “from where the enemy expects it and from where it does not expect it.”

For his part, the Lebanese Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, said his country condemned the “Israeli aggression.” He was the first Lebanese official to directly blame Israel. According to the Lebanese media Al manarMakary also said he had contacted the UN to “hold the culprit accountable.”

19:14 hs

Pagers were introduced “recently”

Pagers in the possession of members of Hezbollah that exploded on Tuesday were part of a cargo that “recently arrived” in Lebanon, said the country's telecommunications minister, Johanny Corn.

“I don’t have any details yet, but I am aware that this shipment of devices arrived recently.”, the head of telecommunications told reporters after the meeting of the Lebanese Cabinet. The minister, who insisted that his department had not yet gathered sufficient information on what happened, indicated that the Pager batteries got hot, so some people “felt the temperature of the device and threw it away” before it exploded.

“It may have been activated remotely, but we don't know how,” Corn added, suggesting that the pagers were most likely smuggled into Lebanon for that purpose. “We need to know how and when this shipment of devices entered Lebanon, which company they belong to, who their owner is… We need to know more details to understand how this device works and how it entered Lebanon.”, the minister said.

19:07 hs

7 dead in Syria due to explosions

In addition to Lebanon, the explosions of the locators also affected SyriaWhere Seven people diedAccording Saberin News, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The fatalities are believed to have occurred in the neighborhood of Seyedah Zeinab, a Shiite stronghold of the capital Damascus.

Earlier, the Saudi media Alhadath had reported that several Hezbollah members had been taken to hospitals in and around Damascus after their pagers exploded.

19:05 hs

Senior Hezbollah leaders injured

The Saudi news channel Alhadath cites anonymous sources as saying that senior Hezbollah leaders and their advisers were wounded when hundreds of beacons went off in Lebanon this afternoon.

18:58 hs

Meeting at Israel's Ministry of Defense in anticipation of possible escalation

Israeli media reported that the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and other security chiefs met at the Defense Ministry headquarters at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.

Reports say senior defence officials have been summoned for an emergency discussion with government officials to discuss how to deal with a possible escalation with Hezbollah following the simultaneous explosion of its members' locators, which caused almost 3.000 victims.

Some Hezbollah officials blamed Israel for the explosions, which they attributed to the use of a malware to overheat the batteries of the devices. However, the group made no reference to Jerusalem's responsibilities in its first statement after the incident.

18:51 hs

Hezbollah's first official statement

Hezbollah He said he is carrying out a extensive research on Tuesday's explosions, while avoiding pointing the finger at Israel for the "simultaneous" detonation of hundreds of locators used by its members.

“Pagers belonging to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded,” the Iran-backed militant group said in a statement. The group added that it was “conducting extensive scientific and safety research” on the causes of the “simultaneous” explosions, not to mention Israel.

The terrorist group called on the population to be aware of the “rumors and false and misleading information"which could serve the "psychological war" carried out by the "Zionist enemy", in response to Israel's threats to launch a large-scale offensive in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah also said that “a large number of people” were injured and were being treated in hospitals in various parts of Lebanon, and that two “brothers” – i.e. members of the terrorist group – and a girl were killed in one of the explosions.

18:47 hs

Eight dead and almost 2.800 injured

The Lebanese Minister of Health said that Eight people died and about 2.800 were injured. in the pager explosions in Lebanon.

Hezbollah stated that Two of its members are among the deadThe group also reported the death of a girl, daughter of a member of Hezbollah, after a locator exploded at his parents' home in the village of Saraain.

Local media reports name her as Fatima Jaafar Abdullah, 9 years old, daughter of a member of Hezbollah.

A source close to the group said the blasts also killed the son of a lawmaker. Hezbollah.

18:30 hs

Iran says its ambassador to Lebanon was injured in multiple explosions by Hezbollah trackers

The wife of diplomat Mojtaba Amani confirmed through her social networks that her husband “was fine and that he was slightly injured in the incident.”

Iran's official media confirmed that the ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured after multiple beepers exploded in and around the country's capital.

Source: INFOBAE