37 dead, 2,931 injured in 2 days of exploding-device attacks on Hezbollah

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad speaks during a press conference in Beirut on Sept. 17, 2024. (File/Reuters)
Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad speaks during a press conference in Beirut on Sept. 17, 2024. (File/Reuters)
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Updated 19 September 2024
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37 dead, 2,931 injured in 2 days of exploding-device attacks on Hezbollah

Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad speaks during a press conference in Beirut on Sept. 17, 2024. (File/Reuters)
  • Group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah says mass bombing crossed a ‘red line’ and vows to retaliate against Israel
  • Paramedic tells Arab News about immediate aftermath of explosions, says medical supplies ran out due to sheer number of casualties

BEIRUT: The death toll in Lebanon caused by exploding communications devices used by members of Hezbollah has risen to 37, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Thursday. The number of people wounded stands at 2,931, he added.

The number of deaths during Wednesday’s second wave of attacks, when booby-trapped walkie-talkies detonated, rose to 25, and 608 injuries have been reported.

The number of people wounded in the first wave on Tuesday, when handheld paging devices exploded, has been revised downward to 2,323 following a review of the data, as a result of the transfer of patients between hospitals and duplication of names. Tuesday’s death toll remains at 12.

Dozens of the injured remain in intensive care, some of whom will require several surgeries.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the two-day mass bombing was a “severe blow” and accused Israeli authorities, who are blamed for the attack by Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, of crossing a “red line.”

But he said his group would continue its daily strikes on targets in northern Israel and vowed Israelis would not be able to return to their homes there until the war in Gaza ends.

As Nasrallah was speaking in a televised speech broadcast from a secret location, Hezbollah and the Israeli military exchanged fire across the border and at least two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed.

Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut, breaking the sound barrier and prompting people in houses and offices to rush to open windows to prevent them from shattering.

A paramedic from Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization told Arab News about the immediate aftermath of the explosions.

“Several of the injured who were alone in their homes crawled to the doors of their apartments and called for help,” he said. “Others were reported injured by neighbors who heard explosions from nearby or opposite apartments and called for our assistance.

“Some injured individuals remained in locations unknown to us and they bled to death before their bodies were retrieved on Wednesday night.”

He added that first responders faced great challenges as a result of the sheer numbers of wounded patients requiring help.

“The pressure from the large number of injuries depleted the medical supplies we were provided, particularly IV fluids, and we ended up bandaging wounds on the ground before sending the injured to hospitals for further treatment,” the paramedic said.

“Ambulances themselves were not spared from the explosions of wireless devices inside them. Fortunately, the paramedics were outside the vehicles when they exploded.”

Following the explosions, special units of the Lebanese army were deployed to detonate suspicious devices. The army urged residents “to report any suspicious devices or objects and avoid approaching them.”

The Lebanese population was reeling in the aftermath of the explosions. Movement in the streets has decreased, and many political, social and sporting events were canceled amid fears of further attacks or all-out war.

However, members of Hezbollah and their supporters were busy organizing funerals for those killed in the attacks. In speeches, party leaders vowed “to retaliate against the Israeli enemy, who won’t expect when the strike will come or how painful it will be.”

An Iranian plane landed in Beirut on Wednesday night to take some of the wounded to Tehran for treatment, including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani.

Media reports in Beirut suggested that “when the pager carried by the Iranian diplomat exploded, he lost one of his eyes and the other was severely injured.”

In Tehran, it was reported that the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, visited wounded patients transferred to Tehran.

Independent MP Elias Jaradeh, who is also an eye surgeon, gave an emotional account of the extent of the eye injuries caused by the exploding devices, and the other traumas Lebanon has endured in recent years.

“The scene repeats itself since the Beirut port explosion (in 2020),” he said. “I wish this were the end of the tragedy. I saw part of Lebanon in the injured and as I tried to treat their eyes, I felt like I was repairing a part of Lebanon.”

Abiad, the health minister, praised “the medical and nursing staffs, as well as the administrations of private hospitals in Lebanon which, despite not yet receiving their financial dues from the state for treating victims of the Beirut port explosion four years ago, opened their doors without exception to the wounded Hezbollah members. Everyone worked for free, with dedication and humanity, to save lives.”

Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on “the UN Security Council to take a firm stand to stop the Israeli aggression and the technological war that Israel is waging against Lebanon, which has resulted in hundreds of martyrs and thousands of injuries.”

Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, received a telephone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, who offered his condolences and pledged France’s support to help Lebanon recover from the current situation.

Berri labeled the attacks “a clear war crime” and called on French authorities to “support Lebanon’s stance at the UN.” He also urged the wider international community to “press Israel to halt its aggression against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon before it’s too late.”

The Lebanese judiciary opened an investigation “into the serious security incident that left hundreds of Lebanese dead and wounded.”

A judicial source said: “Hezbollah doesn’t follow the legitimate procedures when importing its weapons and ammunition, meaning that the investigation should start from the moment the communication devices were bought, and cover their source and the way they arrived in Lebanon.”

As rumors about the possibility that other devices that use lithium batteries might explode, the Ministry of Communication reassured the public that properly imported “communication devices in Lebanon are safe and controlled before they enter the country.”

Hezbollah started to use less sophisticated, non-smart communication devices amid concerns that electronic surveillance by Israeli authorities had compromised cellphone networks in Lebanon, resulting in recent assassinations carried out by drone strikes.

In February, Nasrallah said: “Cellphones are spy devices and a killer agent, providing accurate and specific information” and so “confronting this issue requires great seriousness.”

Meanwhile, clashes continued along the southern Lebanese front as Hezbollah and the Israeli army exchanged fire. Israeli forces targeted areas on the outskirts of Aita Al-Shaab and Ramiyah with phosphorus and smoke bombs, while warplanes carried out raids on the outskirts of Odaisseh and Kfarkila.

Hezbollah said it targeted “Israeli soldiers in the Al-Burj site with appropriate weapons, killing and injuring them.” It also fired on “the Hanita outpost with artillery shells” and launched “an aerial attack with a squadron of precision drones on the newly established headquarters of the Western Brigade in Yaara, hitting its targets accurately.”

The group said it carried out a similar attack “against the enemy’s artillery emplacements in Beit Hillel, targeting the positioning of commanders and soldiers and hitting them accurately.”


US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting
Updated 8 min 8 sec ago
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US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting
  • The US ambassador to the United Nations made a new appeal to let assistance into El-Fasher
  • “We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield

UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday announced $424 million in new aid for displaced and hungry Sudanese at a high-level meeting on the country’s brutal war at the United Nations.
The US mission to the UN said the assistance includes $175 million with which the United States will buy surplus food from its own farmers to feed people in and around Sudan, where a UN-backed assessment has warned of wide-scale famine.
Addressing the event, the US ambassador to the United Nations made a new appeal to let assistance into El-Fasher, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the paramilitary force seeks a complete takeover of the western Darfur region.
“We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses in El-Fasher, Khartoum and other highly vulnerable areas, eliminate barriers to humanitarian access along all routes, and put down their weapons and come to the negotiating table,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Sudan plunged into a devastating war last year as the army battled the RSF.
The World Health Organization said this month at least 20,000 people have been killed. But some estimates are far higher, with the US envoy on Sudan, Tom Perriello, saying that up to 150,000 people may have died.


Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources

Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources
Updated 22 min 44 sec ago
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Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources

Iraq hangs 21 mostly on ‘terror’ charges: security sources
  • They were executed in Nassiriya prison, and the bodies were handed over to forensics

BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities have hanged at least 21 people, including a woman, most of them convicted over “terrorism” charges, three security sources told AFP on Wednesday.
“Twenty-one people were executed in terrorism cases,” an Iraqi security official told AFP, while other sources confirmed the convicts, including one woman, were executed in Nassiriya prison and the bodies were handed over to forensics.


UN Security Council falls short of meeting aspirations, says Arab League chief

UN Security Council falls short of meeting aspirations, says Arab League chief
Updated 32 min 1 sec ago
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UN Security Council falls short of meeting aspirations, says Arab League chief

UN Security Council falls short of meeting aspirations, says Arab League chief
  • Ahmed Aboul Gheit: It has become universally acknowledged that the Security Council, in its current form, no longer mirrors the realities of today’s world
  • Aboul Gheit: A glaring example of this is the months-long Israeli aggression against Gaza, marked by relentless killing, destruction, starvation and displacement

CAIRO: The current structure of the UN Security Council no longer reflects the realities of the modern world, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the Summit of the Future in New York City on Tuesday.

Speaking on the second day of the event, he said the council as it stood did not effectively fulfill its mandate in addressing contemporary conflicts.

“It has become universally acknowledged that the Security Council, in its current form, no longer mirrors the realities of today’s world. It has fallen short in serving the goals of multilateralism effectively and in addressing the conflicts that ravage our planet,” said Aboul Gheit.

“A glaring example of this is the months-long Israeli aggression against Gaza, marked by relentless killing, destruction, starvation and displacement, without the Council being able to take decisive action. Even when a resolution was eventually passed, regrettably, the Council has not been able to enforce it to this day.”

He added: “The current structure and performance of the Security Council do not align with our shared aspirations. We anticipate genuine and transparent reform that will restore confidence in the institution and reflect the realities of the modern world.”

Aboul Gheit stressed the urgent need to strengthen collaboration with the UN to address the root causes of the current crises in the Arab region and beyond.

He said: “I must emphasize that any reforms to the Security Council and international financial institutions must ensure that the Arab world has a consistent and influential voice in global decision-making processes.”

He emphasized that these global issues converged at a critical juncture — the need to preserve multilateralism and strengthen collective action on the international stage.

Among the most pressing concerns he highlighted were rising temperatures and climate change, the widening gap between the developing world and wealthier nations — particularly in relation to climate finance — and the equitable sharing of the burdens of climate adaptation. 

Aboul Gheit also pointed to the persistent crises of extreme poverty and mounting debt, as well as the serious challenges posed by emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, according to spokesman Gamal Roshdy.


Cyprus leader says he ready to resume peace talks ‘today’

Cyprus leader says he ready to resume peace talks ‘today’
Updated 40 min 58 sec ago
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Cyprus leader says he ready to resume peace talks ‘today’

Cyprus leader says he ready to resume peace talks ‘today’
  • “We cannot change geography. It is an opportunity, not a curse. Turkiye and Cyprus will always remain neighbors,” Nikos Christodoulides told the UN General Assembly
  • “I adamantly believe we can carve a new path, one of peace, cooperation and collaboration“

NICOSIA: Cyprus’s president said on Wednesday he was ready to immediately resume reunification talks over the ethnically divided island, urging regional rival Turkiye to also engage in the effort.
“We cannot change geography. It is an opportunity, not a curse. Turkiye and Cyprus will always remain neighbors,” Nikos Christodoulides said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“I adamantly believe we can carve a new path, one of peace, cooperation and collaboration,” he said.
Cyprus was split decades ago in a Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup, and preceded by years of sporadic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Reunification talks collapsed in mid-2017 and have been at a stalemate since.
A Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in northern Cyprus, backed only by Turkiye, wants a two-state deal where its sovereignty is recognized. Greek Cypriots say the only framework available is that defined by UN resolutions calling for reunification under a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
“I am committed and I am ready to sit at the negotiating table today. Not tomorrow. Today,” Christodoulides said.
Perched on the edge of the Middle East, the Cyprus problem is now massively overshadowed by the explosive situation of its neighbors.
Earlier this year the island became a bridge for delivering badly-needed humanitarian aid to Israel-beseiged Gaza in an initiative backed by the United Arab Emirates, the US and Israel. It has also offered to assist in an evacuation of civilians from the region if tensions escalate further.
Yet despite the grim outlook, Christodoulides said he would never accept the linear narrative of a region in turmoil.
“I have experienced first-hand what countries in the region can achieve when they come together behind a common vision,” he said.


Lebanese health minister says 51 killed, 223 wounded in latest round of Israeli strikes

Lebanese health minister says 51 killed, 223 wounded in latest round of Israeli strikes
Updated 25 September 2024
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Lebanese health minister says 51 killed, 223 wounded in latest round of Israeli strikes

Lebanese health minister says 51 killed, 223 wounded in latest round of Israeli strikes
  • The count comes on top of 564 who were killed and more than 1,800 wounded in the previous two days

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health minister said 51 people were killed and 223 wounded Wednesday in Israeli strikes.
The count comes on top of 564 who were killed and more than 1,800 wounded in the previous two days, including around 150 women and children.
Health Minister Firas Abiad did not give a breakdown of how many women and children were wounded Wednesday.
This week has been the deadliest in Lebanon since the bruising monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.