Hezbollah hit by fresh wave of device blasts

BEIRUT — Handheld radios used by Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon's south in the country's deadliest day since cross-border fighting erupted between the militants and Israel nearly a year ago, stoking tensions after similar explosions of the group's pagers the day before.

In total, 37 have been killed in these two days of exploding devices. Lebanon's health ministry said on Thursday that 25 people were killed and more than 450 injured on Wednesday in Beirut's suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions was 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.

Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts, but security sources said Israel's Mossad was responsible. One Hezbollah official said the episode was the biggest security breach in the group's history.

Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: "We are at the start of a new phase in the war."

He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying: "The results are very impressive."

The operations played out alongside Israel's 11-month-old fighting in Gaza and heightened fears of an escalation on its Lebanese border and the risk of a full-blown regional war.

The US, which denied any involvement in the blasts, said it was pursuing intensive diplomacy to avert an escalation of the conflict. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel told Washington on Tuesday it was going to do something in Lebanon. But Israel did not provide details and the operation itself was a surprise to Washington, the official said.

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday in connection with the pager blasts after a request by Arab states.

Teheran's ambassador in Lebanon sustained superficial injuries in Tuesday's blasts, Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency reported. But The New York Times on Wednesday said he lost one eye and the other was severely injured when a pager he was carrying exploded.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has condemned the pager explosions, describing the "terror attack by Israel" as a "source of shame" for Western countries.

China closely follows the pager and walkie-talkie explosions across Lebanon and opposes any action that infringes on the country's sovereignty and security, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing on Thursday, calling on relevant parties to uphold the peace and stability of the Middle East.

Retaliatory move

Hezbollah, which has vowed to retaliate against Israel, said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets, the first strike at its foe since the blasts. The Israeli military said there were no reports of any damage or casualties.

The two sides have been fighting across the Lebanese border since the Gaza conflict erupted on Oct 7, fueling fears of a wider Middle East conflict. The previous highest daily Lebanese death toll was 11, who died in Israeli shelling last month, according to official counts.

Rising tensions may also complicate the so far unsuccessful efforts by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US to negotiate a Gaza cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday it was too soon to assess the impact of the blasts on cease-fire talks. Hezbollah said in a statement it would continue to support Hamas in Gaza and Israel should await a response to the pager "massacre".

A Hamas delegation visited people wounded in the blasts in Lebanese hospitals on Wednesday, Lebanese state news agency NNA said.

Zhou Jin in Beijing and Mike Gu in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

Agencies Via Xinhua