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2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks

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2024 Lebanon electronic device attacks
Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict and the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
An exploded device is on the ground with its components visible.
A device that exploded during the attack
LocationLebanon and Syria
Date17–18 September 2024
TargetHezbollah members[1][2]
WeaponsPagers and walkie-talkies
Deaths42[a]
Injured3,500+[8]
Perpetrator Israel, joint operation between the Israeli military and intelligence services (Mossad)[9]

On 17 and 18 September 2024, thousands of handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies intended for use by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria in an Israeli attack.[9] On 22 September 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog denied any Israeli involvement in the explosions.[10] As of 22 September 2024, 42 people had died,[11][12] including at least 12 civilians.[13] The incident was described as Hezbollah's biggest security breach since the start of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict in October 2023.[14]

The first wave of explosions occurred on 17 September, around 15:30 EEST, killing at least 12 people, including two Hezbollah members and two children,[14][15][16] and wounding more than 2,750[8] including Iran's ambassador to Lebanon.[17] The second wave occurred on 18 September, killing at least 30 people and injuring over 750.[6][18] Devices targeted in the first wave were pagers, while in the second they were ICOM walkie-talkies.[19] The explosions occurred in several areas of Lebanon with a Hezbollah presence,[20][9] as well as in several locations in Syria.[21][22] There were chaotic scenes at the 150 hospitals across Lebanon that received victims of the explosions.[23][24]

In February 2024, Hezbollah's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, instructed the group's members to use pagers instead of cell phones, claiming Israel had infiltrated their cell phone network.[25][26] Hezbollah then purchased Gold Apollo AR924 pagers[27][28][29] about five months before the explosions.[30] Israeli intelligence services (Mossad) had manufactured the devices, integrated the explosive PETN into the batteries, and sold them to Hezbollah through a shell company.[31] International officials and scholars of the law of war have debated the legality of the attacks.[32][33][34]

Responding to the attacks, Nasrallah described the explosions as a "major blow"[35] and labeled them an act of war,[36] possibly a declaration of war by Israel.[37] Following the explosions, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a "new phase" of the war in northern Israel and Lebanon had begun.[38] Hezbollah vowed retaliation,[20] launching a rocket attack on northern Israel a few days later that struck cities such as Nazareth and Kiryat Bialik, injuring several civilians including elderly men and one teenager.[39]

Background

Main article: Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)

A day after Hamas launched its 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, Hezbollah[40] joined the conflict in support of Hamas[41] by firing on Israeli towns like Safed and Nahariya,[40] and other Israeli positions.[42] Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in cross-border military exchanges that have displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. Over 96,000 people in Israel have been displaced[43] and over 111,000 in Lebanon.[44] As of 24 August 2024, there were 564 confirmed deaths in Lebanon including 133 civilians.[44] Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their attacks at a level that causes harm without escalating into a full-scale war.[45] Hezbollah has said it will not stop attacking Israel until Israel ceases its attacks in Gaza.[46]

Earlier on 17 September 2024, just a few hours before the explosions, the Security Cabinet of Israel established a new war objective: the safe return of displaced residents to the north. This goal was added to the two existing objectives: dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages taken during the 7 October attacks.[47][48] Israel's domestic security agency, Shin Bet, announced it had thwarted a Hezbollah plot to assassinate a former senior defense official using an explosive device, and The Jerusalem Post speculated that the pager explosions may have been in retaliation.[49][50]

Use of pagers

While pagers were popular in the late twentieth century they have since largely been replaced by cell phones.[51] Still, some Hezbollah members had used pagers for years before the 7 October attacks, but more members began using them after February 2024, when Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah called on members to stop using smartphones, citing Israel's capability to infiltrate them.[25][26] Hezbollah subsequently imported the pagers to Lebanon in the months before the explosion.[28][27] It was reported that the devices were compromised in Iran before being sent to Lebanon.[52] Reuters was told that the explosives were not detected despite checks and the pagers were still being distributed immediately before the attack.[53]

The exploding pagers were the AR924 model by the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.[29][54] Gold Apollo denied making the pagers, explaining that they were made and sold by Budapest-based BAC Consulting Kft.,[55][56] which had had a licensing agreement with Gold Apollo for the previous three years.[57][58] Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang said that BAC's payments had been "very strange", having arrived via the Middle East.[59] Taiwanese police opened an investigation into Gold Apollo's involvement,[60] searched four locations in Taipei and New Taipei City, and questioned two individuals. Both Economic Minister J.W. Kuo and Premier Cho Jung-tai denied that the pagers were made in Taiwan.[61]

BAC Consulting CEO Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono acknowledged working with Gold Apollo, but stated "I don't make the pagers. I am just the intermediate [sic]."[62] Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said that BAC Consulting "is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced devices have never been in Hungary."[63]

The New York Times reported that the Israeli intelligence operated BAC Consulting and had created two other unnamed shell corporations to hide their involvement.[31] The pagers produced for Hezbollah had batteries that integrated 3 grams (0.11 ounces) of the explosive PETN in such a way that it would have been extremely difficult to detect.[64]

Sky News quoted Lebanese security officials saying that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 devices.[65] Israeli agencies have previously carried out operations involving explosive communication devices, notably the assassination of Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash in 1996.[66]

Explosions

First wave

Security camera footage showing exploding pager in Beirut

On 17 September 2024 at around 15:30 EEST,[8] many pagers across Lebanon and Syria unexpectedly exploded in an apparently coordinated attack on Hezbollah members, many of whom were seriously wounded.[67][20][14] According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, most of the casualties presented at the hospitals were in civilian clothing, and their Hezbollah membership was unclear.[68]

Facial and eye injuries were the most common effect of the explosions and, according to Tracy Chamoun, the pagers emitted a sound to encourage users to pick the devices up and lift them to their heads.[69] Other reports say that the device vibrated and showed an error message on the screen, and only detonated when the user pressed a button to clear the error, increasing the chance that the operator of the device would be holding it.[8]

The explosions occurred in several areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence,[8] including its stronghold of Dahieh in Beirut; southern Lebanon; and the Beqaa Valley near the Syrian border,[20][14][9] where explosions were reported in the towns of Aali en Nahri and Riyaq.[9] In Syria, explosions of pagers were also reported in Damascus and its vicinity.[70][71] Blasts reportedly continued for up to 30 minutes after the initial detonations, intensifying the resulting chaos.[72]

Witnesses reported seeing multiple individuals with bleeding wounds in the aftermath of the blasts.[20] In one instance, an explosion occurred inside the trouser pockets of a man standing outside a shop.[73] Photos and videos circulating on social media and local media from Beirut's southern suburbs showed individuals lying on the ground with injuries on their hands or near their pockets.[74]

Around 150 hospitals received victims of the attack, which saw chaotic scenes.[24][23] Hospitals in southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs were overwhelmed with patients, many suffering from injuries to the face, hands and waist.[75][76] In response, the Ministry of Health advised individuals with pagers to dispose of them and instructed hospitals to remain on "high alert".[9] It also called on health workers to report to work and asked them not to use wireless devices.[8][27] The state-run National News Agency appealed for blood donations.[77] Ambulance crews were deployed from the northern cities of Tripoli and Al-Qalamoun to help in Beirut.[27]

The attack came just a day after the Biden administration's special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel and warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against provoking a major escalation in Lebanon.[78] Just before the blasts, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant told the US defense secretary Lloyd Austin that an operation was planned in Lebanon.[79]

Second wave

At around 17:00 EEST on 18 September, about 24 hours after the initial attack, a second wave of explosions occurred, targeting handheld radios.[80][81]

Explosions were reported in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.[82] The explosions also caused fires in at least two homes.[83] Other explosions occurred at a funeral held in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child who had been killed by the initial explosions.[84] Lebanese Civil Defense said it responded to fires in at least 71 homes and shops,[85] including a lithium battery store in Majdel Selm, as well as 15 cars and numerous motorcycles. These fires were triggered by explosions in various locations across Nabatieh Governorate.[86]

One compromised device was discovered inside an ambulance outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) and neutralized in a controlled explosion by the Lebanese Army.[87] Hezbollah supporters reportedly prevented journalists from filming the incident at the AUBMC.[88][89] The Lebanese Red Cross dispatched 30 ambulances to transport victims in the affected areas.[80]

The targeted devices were reported as Icom IC-V82 VHF walkie-talkies, known to be used by Hezbollah.[85] Manufacture of the IC-V82 model ceased in 2014,[90] and Icom had previously issued an advisory warning about counterfeit radios, including the IC-V82.[91] The company said on 19 September that it was conducting an investigation[92] and, two days later, announced that it was "highly unlikely" that the radios were theirs.[93] A sales executive at Icom's US subsidiary said the transceivers involved appeared to be "knockoff" (counterfeit) products.[94]

Other electronic devices, such as fingerprint biometric devices, were also reported to have exploded, though it remains unclear whether those devices caught fire from other explosions or detonated on their own.[95][96][97][98]

In the aftermath of the second wave of explosions, a group of men attacked United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon vehicles in Tyre, before Lebanese armed forces intervened.[99][100]

Casualties

A car fire allegedly caused by an exploding pager

As of 22 September 2024, the death toll from the attacks was 42,[101] including at least 12 civilian deaths.[102] More than 3,500 people were injured.[102]

At least 12 people were killed in the first wave of attacks,[1] including civilians such as two health workers,[103][27][104] a 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.[105][106][107] The adult son of Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah member of Parliament was killed;[108] Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited southern Beirut to pay his respects.[25] More than 2,750 people were wounded.[109] It was initially unclear if only Hezbollah members were carrying the pagers,[22] but during his speech Secretary-General Nasrallah clarified the exploded pagers were those distributed to lower ranking members while Hezbollah's leaders did not use the model.[110] In the second wave on 18 September, at least 30 people were killed and 750 others were injured.[6][3][8]

Health Minister Firass Abiad said the vast majority of those being treated in emergency rooms were in civilian clothing and their Hezbollah affiliation was unclear.[111] He added the casualties included elderly people as well as young children. According to the Health Ministry, healthcare workers were also injured and it advised all healthcare workers to discard their pagers.[68][112] One eye doctor at Mount Lebanon University Hospital reported that a number of those injured showed signs of something being blown up directly in their face, with some losing one or both eyes, while others had shrapnel in their brains.[113][114] The Lebanese health ministry reported that 300 people had lost both eyes and 500 people had lost one eye as a result of the pager attacks.[115] Other doctors saw severe hand, waist and facial injuries, reporting patients with fingers torn, hands amputated, eyes popped out of the socket and facial lacerations.[116]

Mojtaba Amani, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, was wounded; according to The New York Times, quoting unnamed members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he lost one eye and suffered severe injuries in the other.[117][118] Two staff of the Iranian embassy were also injured.[9] The Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported that 19 IRGC members were killed and another 150 were injured in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, but the IRGC denied any casualties.[119]

Impact

Lebanon

Lebanese health minister Firas Abiad said the scale of the attack was greater than the 2020 Beirut explosion, which was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.[120][121] The head of Lebanon's disaster response committee also compared the pager attack with the Beirut explosion, in terms of the sudden influx of casualties and the strain imposed on Lebanon's emergency response system.[122] Many Lebanese doctors who were treating the injured concurred that the level of injuries was greater than that after the port explosion.[123]

Schools were closed in Lebanon on 18 September,[27] and the Lebanese army announced it was conducting controlled blasts in various areas to destroy any suspicious devices.[124]

On 19 September, the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority imposed an indefinite ban on carrying pagers and walkie-talkies inside checked luggage and carry-on items on flights at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.[125] Air France and Lufthansa suspended flights to Beirut (along with Tel Aviv and Tehran), citing the security situation caused by the attacks.[27][126]

Hezbollah

CNN suggested that the operation was likely intended to instill paranoia among Hezbollah members, undermine their recruitment efforts, and weaken confidence in Hezbollah's leadership and its ability to protect its operations and personnel.[127] John Miller, CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, stated the message for Hezbollah was: "We can reach you anywhere, anytime, at the day and moment of our choosing and we can do it at the press of a button."[127]

The Economist suggested that the pager-bombs, aimed at disrupting Hezbollah's command and communications structure, could be a precursor to an Israeli invasion, or they could be the full extent of Israel's operation. Lina Khatib of Chatham House said the breach could paralyze Hezbollah's military and instill fear, making the group more cautious with its communications. Another theory is that Israel acted preemptively to prevent Hezbollah from discovering the vulnerability.[66]

Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas, who also contributes to The Atlantic, spoke to CNN, suggesting the incident could be an effort "to cow Hezbollah into submission, and make clear that an increase of their attacks against Israel will be met with even further violence." She noted that it might act as a precursor to a large-scale Israeli campaign, especially as Hezbollah contends with the chaos from the attack.[127]

Jewish-American political scientist Eliot A. Cohen wrote in The Atlantic that the attacks were "a strategic win for Israel"—beyond the Hezbollah casualties—because Hezbollah would not be able to trust electronic communications, and an organization cannot function without them. He also said the explosions served as a "morale boost" for Israel after the killings of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages three weeks prior.[128]

Responsibility

Shortly after the attack, Hezbollah issued a statement placing blame for the attack on Israel. While Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the attack, at least two US officials and a senior diplomat in the Middle East told NBC reporters that Israel was behind the attack on 18 September.[62] The New York Times later reported that while Israel had continued to deny any role in the attack, twelve current and former defense and intelligence officials who were briefed on the attack, stated that Israel was behind the attack.[31]

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially declined to comment when approached by the Associated Press.[8] Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi held a meeting with Israeli generals to discuss "preparation for defensive and offensive operations on all fronts".[25] The next day, Halevi made the following statement: "We have many capabilities that we have not yet activated... we have seen some of these things, it seems to me that we are well prepared and we are preparing these plans going forward." He also said that Israel will move further in stages, with each stage more painful for Hezbollah, and stated that the IDF is determined to allow displaced citizens in northern Israel to safely return to their homes.[129]

On 22 September 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog denied any Israeli involvement in the explosions.[10]

International law

Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, questioned the legality of the attacks due to their high collateral damage among civilians, including the deaths of children. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, also raised concerns over the attack's legality. Belgian deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter went further, calling it a "terror attack".[130]

The legal questions that were examined attempted to determine whether the attacks violated the principle of distinction (including the prohibition against using booby traps) and the principle of proportionality.[33]

Experts at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also said the attacks could be a war crime on the basis that they were "intended to spread terror among civilians".[131][132]

Distinction

Indiscriminate attacks

Experts at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the attack was indiscriminate in nature since, by detonating thousands of devices simultaneously, the attacker failed to verify each target to distinguish between civilians and combatants.[131] Alonso Gurmendi-Dunkelberg of the London School of Economics also said that in order to meet the principle of distinction, Israel would have had to verify if each individual device was in the possession of a military target and not a civilian one. He opined it was unlikely that Israel did so, given that thousands of devices were detonated simultaneously.[133]

Professor William Boothby wrote for the Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare that the targets appeared to be persons to whom the pagers were issued and it was "probably reasonable" to assume the pagers would be in their users' possession.[32]

Brian Finucane of the Reiss Center on Law and Security questioned whether the explosions constituted an indiscriminate attack, which are either not directed at a specific military objective or employ a method that cannot be directed at a military objective.[33] Professor Toby Walsh said the attack was indiscriminate in nature because pagers cannot be tracked.[134]

Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, stated: "The use of an explosive device whose exact location could not be reliably known would be unlawfully indiscriminate, using a means of attack that could not be directed at a specific military target and as a result would strike military targets and civilians without distinction."[135]

Legitimacy of targets

Many sources cautioned that under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) only combatants may be targeted; anyone not taking part in hostilities cannot be targeted. While Hezbollah has a military wing, it is also a political party.[136] Huwaida Arraf pointed out that civil servants are considered civilians under international law unless there is evidence that they have taken part in hostilities.[136] Professor William Boothby wrote that attacks on pagers would be illegal if it was known that pagers were also issued to non-combatant members of Hezbollah: for example, its diplomatic, political, or administrative staff.[32]

In addition to a political wing, Hezbollah also has affiliated charities that provide social services.[136] For example, one of those killed was a hospital orderly carrying a pager at Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital, which is linked to a Hezbollah charity.[136] Andreas Krieg, a professor of security studies at King's College London, said it was likely the pagers were distributed among civilian members of Hezbollah, such as those working in charities or the civil service, and these people were not taking part in hostilities.[137]

Booby traps

Booby traps are mostly outlawed under the Protocol on Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices ("Amended Protocol II") of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons,[130] to which Israel is a party.[32] Article 7.2 of Amended Protocol II prohibits the use of "booby-traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects which are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material."[130][32][138] The rules of engagement of some countries, such as the United Kingdom, also ban explosive devices disguised as harmless items.[130][139] The United States Department of Defense Law of War Manual gives watches, cameras, tobacco pipes, and headphones as examples of such items,[32] which are prohibited to "prevent the production of large quantities of dangerous objects that can be scattered around and are likely to be attractive to civilians, especially children".[130][140]

Law of war professor William H. Boothby wrote in the Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare's Articles of War that the likelihood is that "once the arming signal has been sent, the devices used against Hezbollah in Lebanon fall within Article 7(2) and are therefore prohibited on that basis."[32] Brian Finucane, an adviser at the International Crisis Group and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the NYU School of Law, questioned whether the pagers constituted prohibited booby traps under Amended Protocol II.[33]

Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch, stated: "Customary international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby traps – objects that civilians are likely to be attracted to or are associated with normal civilian daily use – precisely to avoid putting civilians at grave risk and produce the devastating scenes that continue to unfold across Lebanon today."[135]

Proportionality

Janina Dill of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict doubted the attacks were proportionate because people carry pagers to different places, including taking them home.[133] She questioned whether, given hundreds of pagers exploding simultaneously, it was even possible for the attacker to make a meaningful calculation on the expected harm to civilians.[133]

British human rights lawyer Geoffrey Nice said the attack was committed without regard to proportion, stating, "The pagers and walkie-talkies were of unknown position and destination when they were activated, therefore, it was impossible for Israel to contemplate whether the outcome would be proportionate".[141]

Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist with the RAND Corporation, pointed out that bombs often have much greater collateral civilian casualties than this attack.[142]

Reactions

Lebanon

A senior Lebanese security source told Al-Hadath that Israel had infiltrated the communication systems of individual devices, leading to their detonation.[72] The office of Prime Minister Mikati said the incident was a criminal "violation of Lebanese sovereignty" by Israel.[25] The government contacted the United Nations and certain countries, asking them to hold Israel responsible for the attack.[27] Health Minister Firas Abiad praised the health system's response, noting that the system was able to "get care to those who needed it, especially for those with serious injuries".[143]

Lebanese journalist Mohammad Barakat, known for his anti-Hezbollah views, called the pager attacks a "Lebanese 9/11".[144] The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that "the enemy succeeded in directing its harshest blows to the body of the Islamic Resistance since the beginning of the conflict with the enemy, in an exceptional security operation in terms of the ability to reach targets and means".[145]

Hezbollah

Hezbollah described Israel's attacks as "criminal aggression" and pledged a "just retribution".[75] Those close to the group described a state of shock following the explosions.[66]

In his address on 19 September, Secretary-General Nasrallah called the attack a "severe blow", describing it as "unprecedented in the history of the resistance in Lebanon at least, unprecedented in the history of Lebanon, and it may be unprecedented in the history of the conflict with the Israeli enemy across the entire region."[35] He added that Israel had crossed a "red line".[146] Nasrallah said there were at least 4,000 pager holders and all of them were Hezbollah members but criticized Israel for the civilian casualties describing the attacks as "a massacre".[citation needed] He challenged the IDF to invade Lebanon, claiming Hezbollah was ready, and said that Israelis displaced in the north would only be allowed to return if Israel ceased the invasion of Gaza.[147]

On the morning of 22 September, Hezbollah retaliated by firing dozens of rockets at northern Israel.[148] Some of the rockets were intercepted over Haifa and Nazareth.[148] In Kiryat Bialik, two houses were struck. Four people were wounded by shrapnel: three older men, and a teenage girl.[39] A rocket struck Nazareth, causing a large fire in the city, and in Beit She'arim, a barn was hit, killing several cows.[39]

Israel

According to Axios, Israeli officials said they were aware of the risk of major escalation on the northern border and that the IDF was on high alert for Hezbollah's retaliation.[78] The Israeli news website Walla cited unnamed officials reportedly saying: "Israeli intelligence services assessed before the operation that Hezbollah might respond with a significant counterattack against Israel."[149] Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the beginning of a "new phase" in the conflict with Hezbollah, and that the IDF was redirecting forces and resources to the North.[150]

On the day of the first wave of attacks, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid was on a trip to the United States to discuss a "ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas". He cut his trip short and returned to Israel in response to the attack.[27]

Shortly after the attack many Israeli figures and pro-Israel accounts on social media celebrated the attacks and mocked the victims. Internet personality Noya Cohen posted a video wearing a headscarf and speaking in mock Arabic, before picking up a phone which explodes. Similar content was posted across pro-Israel accounts, while Israeli social media influencer Einav Avizemer called the attack "operation below the belt."[151] Memes were widely shared, including one naming a pager as the new Mossad agent "Motti Rola" and another showing a deceased Hezbollah fighter with missing genitals due to an exploding pager.[152]

On 22 September 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog denied any Israeli involvement in the explosions.[10]

Multi-national organizations

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, condemned the attack, saying "civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times".[153] Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General's spokesperson, said the organization deplored the civilian casualties and warned of the risks of escalation in the region.[154][155] Speaking on 18 September, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed that "civilian objects" should not be weaponized.[156] The Security Council held an emergency session on 20 September to address the situation.[157] Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement saying that "Simultaneous targeting of thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowledge as to who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location and their surroundings at the time of the attack, violates international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law."[158]

European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack, saying they were aimed "to spread terror in Lebanon".[159][160]

Non-governmental organizations

The Iraq-based pro-Iranian militia groups Kata'ib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba offered medical and military assistance to Hezbollah.[161][162]

The Palestinian organization Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, described the attacks as a "crime that defies all laws". In a statement, Hamas praised Hezbollah's "efforts and sacrifices" and said "this terrorist act is part of the Zionist enemy's larger aggression on the region".[163]

Mohammed Abdelsalam, the spokesperson of the Houthis who govern much of Yemen, called the attacks "a heinous crime and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty" and said that Lebanon was "capable of deterring the Zionist enemy entity and making it pay a heavy price for any escalation."[163] Hours after the explosions and two days after firing a supersonic ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, the deputy head of the Houthis' media authority, Nasr Al-Din Amer, said the group was ready to send thousands of fighters to Lebanon in the event of war with Israel.[164]

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention condemned the incident as "terrorist attacks against Lebanese people".[165]

Governments

Middle East

  •  Egypt: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reaffirmed Lebanon's security, stability, and sovereignty and said that his government rejects any "attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally", calling on all parties to act responsibly.[166] Egypt also offered medical assistance.[27][167]
  •  Palestine: The Palestinian Authority denounced the attack, fearing an escalation in Lebanon.[168]
  •  Iran: Iran referred to the attacks as "Israeli terrorism" and pledged to provide medical assistance to those affected.[27] Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the attack as an "example of mass murder" by the "Zionist regime".[169] Iran dispatched a medical team of twelve doctors, twelve nurses and the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society to Lebanon to provide medical assistance.[3]
  •  Iraq: The government provided medical supplies to Lebanese hospitals following the first wave of attacks. It also said that it will strengthen controls at its borders to avoid any "infiltration" or security risk with the imports of electronic equipment.[86] The Iraqi Red Crescent Society and the Popular Mobilization Forces sent planes with aid to Beirut to help the victims of the attack.[170]
  •  Jordan: Jordan offered medical assistance.[citation needed]
  •  Syria: Syria expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people and said it "stands by their side in their right to defend themselves" while condemning the blasts. The Syrian foreign ministry issued a statement carried by state news agency SANA accusing Israel of "its desire to expand the scope of the war and its thirst to shed more blood". It called on nations to "unequivocally condemn this aggression".[163] Syria also offered medical assistance.[171]
  •  Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Israel during a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati, saying that its attempts to spread conflicts in the region are "extremely dangerous" and that Turkey's efforts to stop "Israeli aggression" will continue.[172] Turkey also offered medical assistance.[171]
  •  Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah Al-Khater, called the international community's lack of a response to the attack "terrifying", and stated, "These mobile ticking bombs indiscriminately injure and kill people in public and civilian spaces, when did this become acceptable?"[173]

Other

  •  Belgium: Deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter condemned the "massive terror attack in Lebanon and Syria".[174]
  •  China: Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China is closely following the attacks and opposed any act which "infringes on Lebanon's sovereignty and security". Lin also expressed concerns over possible escalations in the region[175] At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council convened following the attacks, permanent representative Fu Cong called the attacks "unheard of in history", and "a gross violation of a country's sovereignty and security and a blatant breach of international law, particularly international humanitarian law". He also demanded a full investigation of the attacks.[176]
  •  France: President Emmanuel Macron addressed the Lebanese people in a video, expressing his support and emphasizing that "war is not inevitable" and a "diplomatic path exists".[177]
  •  Ireland: Foreign Minister Micheál Martin condemned the attack, saying it endangered the lives of civilians and violated the Geneva Convention on indiscriminate attacks. Prime Minister Simon Harris criticized the attack and called for de-escalation.[178]
  •  Malaysia: The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, stating that it undermine Lebanon's security, stability, and sovereignty.[179]
  •  Russia: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the attack, adding that it requires investigation and international attention.[180][181] Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the attacks were "leading to an escalation of tensions" in the region.[182]
  •  South Korea: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said the government was closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East with concern and urged the relevant parties to seek a peaceful solution through dialogue.[183]
  •  United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed concern about "rising tensions and civilian casualties" and urged British citizens to leave Lebanon as the situation "could deteriorate rapidly". He said the UK government wanted to see a negotiated political settlement "to restore stability and security", so that both Israelis and Lebanese people could return to their homes.[184]
  •  United States: State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller denied involvement in the attacks and said that the country was not aware of them in advance. The United States also urged Iran to refrain from retaliating.[185] White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed the need for a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah,[163] and said, "Obviously, children being harmed, people being harmed is difficult to see and not something that we want to see," but would not comment on whether the attack constituted terrorism.[142] Former CIA director Leon Panetta called the attacks "a form of terrorism".[186]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ First wave: 12[3][4]
    Second wave: 30[5][6][7]

References

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Further reading

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