At least 14 dead and over 450 injured in new explosions of communication devices across Lebanon: Day 348 of the Gaza war

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The alliance of Palestinian movements in Lebanon, which includes the majority of groups active in the country including Fateh, issued a statement in which it also attributed the second wave of explosions of communications devices, which killed at least 14 people and injured more than 450 others this Wednesday, to Israel. The alliance called the operation "a heinous Zionist crime."

Hamas accused Israel of being responsible for a new wave of deadly explosions of Hezbollah communications devices in Lebanon, citing a "threat" to regional stability.

" We strongly condemn the repeated and continuous Zionist aggression against the brotherly Lebanese people," Hamas said in a statement, adding that the attack, which came a day after deadly explosions targeting pagers used by the party, "now threatens the security and stability of the region."

In south Lebanon, a telecommunications device exploded during the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter in Kfar Sir (Nabatieh), injuring several people who were taken to hospital, according to testimonies from residents collected by L'Orient Today's correspondent.

(Credit: Jaimee Haddad/L'Orient Today)

The Ministry of Health has updated the toll from this second series of explosions of communications devices. It now reports 14 dead and more than 450 injured, which is in addition to the 12 deaths and nearly 2,800 injured the day before.

Iraq said on Wednesday it wanted to strengthen controls at its borders to avoid any "infiltration" or security risk, particularly with regard to imports of "electronic equipment," following the deadly explosions in Lebanon which affected hundreds of pagers in the hands of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah announced that it targeted the Israeli site of Bayad Blida, located opposite the Lebanese town of Blida (Bint Jbeil) with artillery.

The al-Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal movement, said at least 146 injured people had been taken to hospitals in south Lebanon following the second wave of communications equipment explosions. It added that 34 fires had been brought under control.

The Civil Defense reported that it was able to extinguish fires that broke out in residences and hangars in several villages in the Bekaa, notably in Housh al-Rafqa, Tamnin al-Faouqa, Qasr al-Nabi and Nabi Sheet, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

It also reported two injured people were rescued in Tamnin al-Faouqa and Badnayel and taken to the government hospital in Riyak.

L'Orient Today's correspondent added that two of those killed in this second wave of explosions fell in the Baalbeck-Hermel region.

Israel will ensure that tens of thousands of residents evacuated from northern border areas can return home, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

"I've said it before, we're going to allow the citizens of the north to return home safely and that's exactly what we're going to do," he said in a brief video statement, without elaborating.

Syrian researcher and reporter Farid al-Mahloul reported on X that the Syrian government "issued an urgent circular to all branches, security agencies and military forces, demanding that wireless devices be turned off and landlines be used." 

Military expert and war veteran Elijah Magnier told X that Hezbollah had "recovered its means of communication and control and reestablished contacts with all parties involved" in "its operations in support of Gaza."

The pagers belonging to Hezbollah members that exploded in their hundreds in Lebanon on Tuesday were booby-trapped and pre-programmed to detonate, a Lebanese security official told AFP.

Preliminary results of an investigation by Lebanese authorities showed that "the devices were pre-programmed to explode and contained explosive materials placed next to the battery," said the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Today)

The remains of the device that security forces detonated this Wednesday evening in front of AUMBMC, the medical center of the American University of Beirut.

Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi ordered the general directorate of internal security forces and other security agencies to keep their personnel ready to assist citizens and emergency services in all regions of the country, according to a statement.

He also asked the Civil Defense to be ready and mobilized the governates and the municipalities.

The minister stressed that the current situation required " extreme vigilance and preparedness," stressing that the safety of citizens was a top priority for the state.

The Lebanese Ministry of Education clarified that public and private schools and universities will be open on Thursday despite the second wave of explosions that occurred on Wednesday.

The German government suspended the country's arms export permits to Israel, according to a source close to the German Economy Ministry contacted by Reuters.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Today)

According to L'Orient Today's journalist on the ground, the security forces plan to detonate a device that did not explode in front of the AUBMC, the medical center attached to the American University of Beirut. 

The pagers used in the explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday were never in Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government said in a statement on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The Taiwanese company that makes the Gold Apollo beepers said Wednesday that the model used in the attack on Hezbollah was made by Budapest-based BAC Consulting. It added that it had only licensed its trademark to the company and had not been involved in the production of the devices.

"The Hungarian authorities have established that the company in question is an intermediary trading company, which has neither manufacturing nor other operating sites in Hungary," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said on Facebook.

Find the details here.

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Friday at 3 p.m. New York time (10 p.m. Beirut time) to discuss the explosions targeting communications devices in Lebanon.

"We are entering a new phase of the war," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said as armed forces moved toward the Lebanese border, Haaretz reported.

The Civil Defense said its personnel worked to extinguish fires that broke out in 60 homes and shops (including a lithium battery store in Majdal Selm ), 15 cars and dozens of motorcycles following the explosion of radios and two fingerprinting devices in several areas of Nabatieh governorate.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said early Wednesday evening that the second wave of explosions in Lebanon was over and that there were no new arrivals in hospitals.

An Israeli drone targeted the village of Taybeh (Marjayoun), residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent.

The Ministry of Health updated the toll from this second series of explosions of communications devices. It now reports nine dead and more than 300 injured.

A strong explosion occurred in the office of Mohammad Kanso, who is the director of the office of Amal Movement MP Hani Qobeissi, in the village of Doueir (Nabatieh), a source in the movement told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

The explosion led to major damage inside the office and caused a fire, without causing casualties.

The Marjayoun government hospital is appealing for blood donors for blood groups O- and AB+, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

According to Haaretz, today's explosions were caused by booby-trapped batteries imported by Hezbollah two weeks ago.

Photo provided by Hezbollah

The funeral of Hezbollah member Hassan Ahmad Moustapha took place on Wednesday in Habsheet, Akkar, in the presence of several figures from the party, including the head of the Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon region in Hezbollah, Sheikh Mohammad Amro.

"We only want to liberate Palestine and return it to its people, and eliminate the influence of the West on our country and our wealth," Sheikh Amro said. "What happened yesterday will not go unnoticed, and the enemy and those who helped him will pay a very high price," he also said in reference to the attack on the Hezbollah pagers.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding that Israel end "its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory" within 12 months, Reuters reports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday strongly condemned the "crimes of the Israeli occupation" against the Palestinian people and said the kingdom would not recognize Israel without a Palestinian state.

"We have not recorded any violation of the national network by the [Israeli] enemy or by any other party," said the public operator responsible for managing fixed telephony and Internet in Lebanon, Ogero.

"Our technical teams are working around the clock to protect the national network," it added in a message on X, assuring that these attacks "have not affected the national network."

In south Lebanon, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for three strikes against Israeli territory in the last hour, "in retaliation for the enemy's attacks on Blida and Majdal Selm" which occurred the previous night.

- First, the party claimed to have "bombarded Israeli artillery positions" in Nafeh Zeif, a town facing the Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab (Sour), using a "series of rockets," the statement said.

- It then said that it targeted the "headquarters of a company of the 810th Harmon Brigade" on the position of "Habousheet" a town located in the occupied Golan, with a "volley of Katyusha rockets".

- Finally, the party launched a third attack against the base of the "Sahel battalion" located in the Beit Halal barracks, which faces the Lebanese village of Merkaba, with a "salvo of Katyusha rockets."

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon, civil defense personnel and associations are working to extinguish fires that broke out inside houses, cars and shops in cities and villages in the region following the explosions. At the same time, ambulances are transporting the injured to hospitals.

Israeli planes carried out strikes on the villages of Kfar Shouba, Halta (Hasbaya) and Odaisseh (Marjayoun), residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said, "the kingdom will not stop working towards the creation of a Palestinian state," Reuters reports.

"Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people," he added.

The devices that exploded were walkie-talkies, a security source told CNN.

They also said that 15 to 20 explosions occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in south Lebanon.

According to the source, these walkie-talkies are less used than the pagers that exploded yesterday, because they are only distributed to people responsible for organizing gatherings, such as funerals or marches.

A UNIFIL vehicle has been stopped on Al-Arid Street in Housh, east of Sour, and the agency's vehicles are being smashed, residents and eyewitnesses told our correspondent in the South.

According to an-Nahar’s correspondent, a "device" exploded in a car in front of AUBMC, the medical center affiliated with the American University of Beirut, and Hezbollah members are preventing the media from filming.

A person has been killed in the city of Bint Jbeil, following the explosions in houses and cars, residents told our correspondent in the South.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health confirmed an initial toll of over 100 injured and one dead. This toll has since been surpassed by current reports, which indicate three dead and several hundred injured.

Hundreds of people have been wounded in Beirut, the Bekaa, and southern Lebanon in a second round of explosions involving communication devices used by Hezbollah, a security source told Reuters. Many of the wounds were to the stomach and hands, the source said, mirroring the injuries sustained in yesterdays attack, consistent with how such devices are worn and handled.

Seven people have been injured, one critically in the city of Bint Jbeil following explosions inside houses and cars, according to residents' testimonies relayed by our correspondent in the South.

Sources contacted by Axios indicated that "the personal radios, pre-rigged with explosives by Israeli intelligence and delivered to Hezbollah, were part of the party's emergency communication system, intended to be used in the event of a war with Israel," according to the sources.

Four people have been lightly injured in an explosion that occurred in a car in Jdeidet Marjayoun, residents told our correspondent in the South.

Four cars caught fire in Abbassieh following explosions inside them, according to residents.

"Such attacks violate international human rights law and potentially international humanitarian law as well," said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, referring to the Hezbollah pager attacks on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

"Civilian objects must not be militarized," added António Guterres, who called for an "independent investigation into the circumstances of these explosions."

Dr. Salah Zeineddine, the chief medical officer at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, said that staff members had been put on standby by the Lebanese authorities following reports of a new round of explosions across the country, according to the New York Times.

Mortada Smaoui, a resident of Beirut’s southern suburbs, spoke to a New York Times correspondent in the region, saying, “There are buildings burning right now in front of me,” adding that firefighters and soldiers were rushing to the scene.

Residents told our correspondent in the South that one house in the village of Toura and two houses in Tayr Debba (both Sour district) have caught fire following the explosions, and that two people have been injured in Kfar Houneh (Jezzine district), according to residents.

In the village of Libbaya in the Western Bekaa, several people have been injured following a second round of communication devices exploding in Lebanon.

Three deaths have been reported as a result of the second wave of personal communication devices exploding in Lebanon, according to reports from our correspondent in the Bekaa and the National News Agency (NNA).

“Civilian objects” should not be turned into weapons, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said, according to AFP.

“Dozens of people” have been injured in these new explosions, security sources told Reuters.

Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that the Hezbollah pager attack signals a potential escalation of the war, according to AFP reports.

The Lebanese Army has urged citizens to avoid gathering in areas where "security incidents" are occurring to facilitate the passage of medical teams.

Three people have been injured in the village of Abbassieh following an explosion, residents told our correspondent in the South.

According to eyewitnesses, two people have been injured in explosions that occurred in a house and a car in the village of Sharqieh (Nabatieh district).

Moreover, another explosion took place in a shop in Saida.

Hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time as pagers, a security source told Reuters.

Hachem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah's executive council, stated that the party is facing "a new phase" and that "the punishment will come," Reuters reports.

A source close to Hezbollah and rescuers told AFP that the detonations are the result of the party's walkie-talkies exploding in the suburbs of Beirut.

According to a security source relayed by our correspondent in the South, devices have detonated inside cars, residential apartments and shops.

A column of smoke has risen above the southern suburbs of Beirut.

According to images circulating on social media, which L'Orient-Le Jour could not immediately verify, the fire appears to have started in an apartment within a residential building.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Communications devices that exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday are hand-held radios, different from pagers that exploded on Tuesday, Reuters reported, according to a security source and witness.

In a message on X, Charles Lister, Director of Syria and Counter-Terrorism Programs at the Middle East Institute, commented on this latest series of explosions. "Two-way radios and other pagers appear to have exploded in areas of #Beirut, #Bekaa, and elsewhere in #Lebanon about 20 minutes ago. Several cars on fire, apartments burning — new injuries. Hospitals are filling up again," he wrote.

A device has detonated in the village of Kharayeb (Saida district), residents told our correspondent in the South.

Explosions have also been heard in the villages of Sarafand, Ghazieh, Kharayeb (Saida district) and Kfarjoz (Nabatieh), residents told our correspondent in the South.

According to residents, wireless devices have exploded in four cars in Abbasieh in South Lebanon.

⚡ Communication devices used by Hezbollah exploded in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, security sources and witnesses told Reuters.

A pager has exploded in a parked car in the city of Saida without causing casualties, eyewitnesses told our correspondent in the South.

⚡ An explosion has been heard in Saida, according to our correspondent in the South. Ambulances have been heard in a number of villages in the districts of Sour and Nabatieh, our correspondent adds.

Detonations have been heard in southern Lebanon, residents told our correspondent in the South. An explosion has been also heard in the village of Srifa (Sour district) and ambulances headed to the area, according to residents.

A resident in the Bekaa told our correspondent in the region that a pager detonation has been heard in the western Bekaa Valley and MTV has reported that several explosions were heard across Lebanon.

(Credit: Raphaël Abdelnour/OLJ)

On the street leading to Rawdat al-Shahidain in the southern suburbs of Beirut, mourning women repeatedly shout "Death to Israel!"

"I am still saddened and shocked by what happened," Sama, who came from Burj al-Barajneh, said. "It’s unprecedented; that’s why we still can't talk about it," she adds.

⚡ At least one explosion was heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Reuters reported, noting that ambulance sirens were also heard.

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned "the attacks which jeopardize the security and stability of Lebanon and increase the risk of escalation in the region," considering the situation to be "worrying".

Following the series of Hezbollah pager explosions, the vice-president of the European Commission said he had called caretker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib who informed him of the situation in the country.

"Thousands of people have been injured, hundreds are in critical condition and hospitals are collapsing. Even though the attacks appear to have been targeted, they have caused significant and indiscriminate collateral damage among civilians and several children are among the victims," ​​denounced the European diplomat, who called on all parties " to avoid an all-out war," which would have "heavy consequences for the entire region and beyond."

New update on the exchange of fire on the border between Lebanon and Israel:

- Israeli warplanes targeted the village of Jibbain (Sour) in two stages, residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

- Rockets fired from Lebanon sparked a fire in a wooded area near the Israeli town of Manot, located about 5 km from the Lebanese border, near Alma al-Shaab, Haaretz reported. Six firefighting teams were deployed to the scene, the Israeli media outlet added.

Those responsible for the deadly pager attack on Hezbollah members on Tuesday "must be held accountable," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said on Wednesday.

"The simultaneous targeting of thousands of people, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowing who was in possession of the targeted devices, where they were located and in what environment they were at the time of the attack, constitutes a violation of international human rights law and, to the extent applicable, international humanitarian law ," Turk said in a statement.

In response to the Israeli attacks on Majdal Selm and Blida (Marjayoun), Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli artillery positions in Neve Ziv. This is the first attack by Hezbollah since the explosion of beepers in different Lebanese regions yesterday.

Israeli airstrikes killed three people in Blida and two others in Majdal Selm yesterday. Four of those killed were Hezbollah members and one was an Islamic Jihad fighter.

MP Ali Ammar at a funeral in Ghobeiry, notably for his son. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)

At the funeral, almost everyone dressed in black, and the atmosphere was ceremonious. Women sitting near the podium were crying, in the street next to the venue. MP Ali Ammar was present and received condolences that were presented to him one after the other, while the Minister of Public Works, Ali Hamiyeh, was also at the ceremony.

In the southern suburbs of Beirut, in Ghobeiry, funerals are being held by Hezbollah for four of the victims of the pager explosions the day before: The son of MP Ali Ammar, Mohammad Mahdi Ammar, a boy of about ten, Mohammad Bilal Kanj, a hospital employee in the region, Mohammad Nour el-Dine, and another party fighter, Abbas Yassine. Our journalists Raphael Abdelnour and Mohammad Yassine are on site.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib discussed the "dangerous Israeli escalation following the cyberattack" with the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reports.

"We strongly condemn this unprecedented Israeli attack, which constitutes a flagrant attack on Lebanon's sovereignty and security, as well as a clear violation of all international conventions and norms," ​​Bou Habib said.

The minister warned of "the seriousness of what happened, especially since it follows Israeli threats to expand the war against Lebanon, which could plunge the region into an even greater spiral of violence and threaten to provoke a wider conflict." Finally, Bou Habib called on "the United Nations to exert maximum pressure on Israel to stop the escalation, end its aggression against Lebanon and be pushed to implement Security Council Resolution 1701, while withdrawing from the Lebanese territories it still occupies."

The Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP) called the attack on Hezbollah members' pagers a "mass crime."

"This extension of the war does not respect any form of humanity, as the enemy targeted children, workers, employees, doctors, nurses, defenseless civilians in addition to resistance fighters," the SSNP, which is close to Hezbollah, said in a statement.

It added that "the response to this aggression will be commensurate with the crime committed and proportional to the extent of the punishment that the enemy deserves."

The Israeli air force targeted the surroundings of the village of Shamaa (Sour), residents told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.

In addition, Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Shebaa (Hasbaya), according to residents.

Quoted by Haaretz, the Israeli army said that about ten rockets were launched toward northern Israel and fell in open areas.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.

The Kiryat Shmona municipality said that "all residents remaining in the city are required to stay near a shelter until further notice," according to Haaretz.

The funeral of Attaa al-Dirani, a nurse who was killed in the pager explosions yesterday, took place in the village of Qsarnaba in the Bekaa, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.

The victim's mourning relatives followed the coffin from the village mosque to the cemetery, carrying Hezbollah flags.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Egypt "will not accept any changes to pre- Oct. 7 rules for security on its border with Gaza and the operation of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side," according to Reuters.

This is currently one of the sticking points in the negotiations, as Israel has refused to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor — along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. (Credit: Photo archives NNA)

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with the Government Emergency Committee this morning to discuss "possible scenarios in the event of an extension of Israeli attacks."

For more details on the issues discussed, including food supplies, shelters, and challenges, click here.👈

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has denied reports that the U.S. administration was involved in or aware of the attack on Hezbollah's pagers beforehand.

The statement comes after Amos Hochstein, U.S. President Joe Biden's envoy visited Tel Aviv on Monday for talks with Israeli officials.

Also a week earlier, General Michael Kurilla, head of the U.S. Army's Central Command (Centcom), visited Israel to review the Israeli general staff's "operational plans for Lebanon."

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter condemned "the massive terror attack in Lebanon and Syria, which has left thousands injured," referring to the sabotage of Hezbollah pagers, widely attributed to Israel. In a message posted on X, she described it as a "brutal escalation of violence."

"Silence is not an option. An international investigation is necessary. The bloodshed must stop," she stated.

The grand mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Abdel-Latif Deriane, condemned the Hezbollah beeper attack, calling on the international community to hold Israel "accountable before the international criminal courts."

To find out more about what Grand Mufti Deriane said, click here.👈

Israel is pushing the entire Middle East to the brink of regional conflict by maintaining a dangerous escalation on several fronts, Jordan's foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, said today in remarks made after an Islamic and Arab ministerial contact group meeting in Amman to lobby for a Gaza cease-fire.

Safadi added that peace would not prevail without a two-state solution. 

Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister, Firas Abiad, announced at a press conference that the death toll from the recent pager explosion in Lebanon has now risen to 12, including two children and two medical workers.

The number of injured people ranges between 2,750 and 2,800, according to the minister.

Of the injured, 750 are from South Lebanon, 150 from the Bekaa, and 1,850 from Beirut. Among the injured, 300 are in critical condition.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo "rejects" any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency today.

"The President affirmed Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly, and reaffirming Egypt's support for Lebanon," the statement added.

Blinken arrived in Egypt earlier today to advance efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo.

To find out more about Blinken's visit, click here.👈

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed his sorrow to Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati during a telephone call, according to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu. Erdogan also conveyed to Mikati that Israel's efforts to escalate the war in Gaza to the broader region are dangerous and that Turkey would persist in its efforts to counter Israel's actions, Anadolu reported.

Last week, Erdogan had stated in comments cited by Reuters that Muslim countries should form an "alliance" to address what he described as Israel's "growing threat of expansionism," which he claimed endangered both "Lebanon and Syria."

(Credit: Photo provided by our correspondent Sarah Abdallah)

The mourning of Fatima Abdullah, a child killed in one of yesterday’s pager blasts, took place in the Bekaa, according to our regional correspondent. Hezbollah and the Abdullah family participated in a solemn procession, as grief and anger spread throughout the villages of Baalbeck-Hermel.

The Israeli army radio station announced that the elite 98th Division of the Israeli army will be transferred from Gaza to the northern front, along the border with Lebanon.

The military correspondent of the Israeli army radio station, Doron Kadosh added that the division was initially scheduled "to continue fighting in the Gaza Strip, but on the last day it was decided to divert it to the north."

To find out more, click here.👈

Commenting on yesterday's pager attack, former president Michel Aoun wrote on X: "We are all Lebanese; we are all afflicted, we are all wounded, and we are all in pain."

He also criticized "the international organizations that are supposed to protect peace and justice in the world, but they stand weak and helpless in the face of the scenes of brutal killing, especially against children, and the crimes against humanity that are repeated daily in Gaza, and which struck Lebanon yesterday."

(Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)

The body of Hassan Ahmad Mohammad, a Hezbollah fighter killed in yesterday’s Israeli airstrike on the village of Blida (Bint Jbeil district), arrived overnight in his hometown of Habsheet in the Akkar region.

His coffin, draped in a yellow Hezbollah flag, was carried through the village in a large funeral procession by locals. Shiite religious chants and expressions of support for Hezbollah and its Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, echoed through the crowd. His funeral is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at the village mosque.

Following the attack on Hezbollah’s pagers and the Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, 12 Hezbollah fighters were killed yesterday — in both pager detonations and Israeli strikes. 

So far, 423 Hezbollah members have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's count. 

Another account from the aftermath of yesterday’s pager detonations comes from Fatoun, 65, a resident of Nabatieh:

"We witnessed a chaotic scene yesterday: ambulances were racing through the streets, with sirens blaring non-stop throughout the afternoon and night. We were scared but had to stay strong to support our neighbors and relatives. Hezbollah’s response must be strong. Israel’s operation is unimaginable."

Moscow and Teheran "condemn" the attack on Hezbollah's pagers, widely blamed on Israel.

"The massive detonation of pagers in Lebanon requires an investigation and international attention," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, calling for "restraint" earlier this morning.

This unprecedented attack, which killed 12 people according to our provisional toll, has also been described as a "mass murder" by the Iranian presidency.

The administration of the al-Rassoul al-Azam Hospital in Beirut announced, in a statement, the death of one of its employees, Mohammad Noureddine, during the detonation of pagers yesterday across the country.

"Noureddine was killed during his work at the hospital in the Israeli aggression yesterday ... [The administration of the hospital] affirms that it will continue on the path of the Islamic Resistance, supporting the [fighters] in support of our people in Lebanon and Gaza."

Zeinab, who lives in Sour, denounced the "attack on all of Lebanon."

"What happened was not a targeting of individuals or a specific party, but an attack on all of Lebanon," she stressed, claiming that her friends had actively participated in donating blood to help those injured in the attack.

The woman also said that she had sensed a thirst for revenge among her neighbors, even though they were not all affiliated with Hezbollah. "What Israel has done is out of the ordinary. We've made the decision to all be supporters of the Resistance and we're waiting for the response," she said

Dania al-Hallak, a Lebanese doctor in a Beirut hospital, reported:

"A victim was rushed to the emergency room with his intestines removed! We tried to stabilize him until we could finally take him to the operating room. I had to remove the bandages to see that there were no eyeballs left in place. I've seen people slaughtered for the first time. Can you ever recover from a sight like that?" she wrote on social media platform X.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s attack, L'Orient Today gauged reactions from different parts of the country.

In Nabatieh, Iqbal, a supermarket owner, expressed her shock:

"What happened yesterday left a deep wound. It was a shock, a catastrophe... We expected anything but this," she told our correspondent in southern Lebanon. "We still don’t fully understand what happened, but we have to pull ourselves together. The response must match the scale of the attack, if not exceed it. The resistance must strike back," she added.

Eight Hezbollah fighters were killed in the explosion of their pagers, according to a cross-check between our correspondent's information and a statement issued by the party:

- Hussein Mentesh, born in 1994 and originally from Kfar Sir in southern Lebanon.

- Mohammad Abbas, born in 1986 and originally from Jiyyeh, Mount Lebanon.

- Abbas Menhem, born in 1996 and originally from Sohmor, Bekaa.

- Mohammad Mahdi Ammar, born in 1985 and originally from Bourj Brajneh, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. He is Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar's son.

- Hussein Fakih, born in 1988 and originally from Bourj Shemali, south Lebanon.

- Hassan Yassin, born in 1986 and originally from Majdal Selm, South Lebanon.

- Mahdi Samhat, born in 1995 and originally from Tiri, South Lebanon.

- Abbas Yassin, born in 1993 and originally from Zokak al-Blat, Beirut.

Hezbollah announced the death of four of its fighters in Israeli strikes yesterday in South Lebanon:

* Two of them, Hassan and Najib Ala al-Dine, were killed in a strike on Majdal Selm (Marjayoun), where they are originally from.

* Two other fighters, Youssef Madi Alouh and Hassan Ahmed Mohammad, from Baalbeck and Akkar respectively, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Blida.

According to the provisional balance sheet of the Health Ministry, a statement issued by Hezbollah and information from our correspondent in South Lebanon, here are the names of the victims of the pager explosions:

The three killed civilians, including two children:

-  Fatima Abdallah, aged 10, from Saraain, in the Baalbeck district.

-  The second child, a young boy, Mohammad Bilal, from Ghobeiri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

- A young woman, Atta Ali Mubarak al-Dirani, a nurse at Dar al-Amal hospital in Kasarnaba (Baalbeck), died of her wounds.

An ambulance carrying a wounded man to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Sept. 17, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)

After yesterday’s unprecedented Hezbollah pager explosions, what’s next for Lebanon’s ‘support front’?

Read Salah Hijazi's piece as he explores how Israel seems to have disrupted a key segment of Hezbollah’s communication network. Click here.👈

A plane arrived in Beirut this morning from Iraq carrying medical supplies for the country’s hospitals, following yesterday’s attack. Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister, Firas Abiad, was at Beirut international airport to receive the aid, according to the official National News Agency (NNA).

Shortly before the pager attack yesterday, Israel had reported that it thwarted a Hezbollah assassination attempt. Click here to read more.👈

Israel conducted the pager attack in Lebanon yesterday due to concerns that Hezbollah might have discovered its covert operation involving these devices, according to Axios, citing three U.S. officials.

"It was a take-it-or-leave-it moment," said one of the U.S. officials to Axios, indicating that this was Israel's rationale to the Americans for the timing of the attack.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is scheduled to speak at 5 p.m. tomorrow, following the wave of pager explosions in Lebanon.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, lost one eye and suffered severe injuries to the other when a pager he was carrying exploded yesterday, according to two members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps briefed on the attack, as reported by the New York Times. Although the ambassador had initially described his injuries as "slight," the Guard members, who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on public statements, revealed that Amani's injuries were more severe than Iran had initially disclosed and that he would be evacuated to Tehran for treatment.

Hossein Soleimani, editor-in-chief of Mashregh, the Revolutionary Guards' main news website, confirmed the severity of Amani's injuries in a message posted on X, stating: "Unfortunately, the injuries inflicted on the Iranian ambassador in the eye area were very severe."

The Israeli army reported intercepting two drones over northern Israel last night, according to Haaretz.

The first drone was intercepted "over the sea, near Rosh Hanikra," opposite Lebanese Ras Naqoura in the Sour district. The second drone was intercepted near Tiberias, a town on the shore of the lake of the same name, more than 30 kilometers from the border.

Although Hezbollah has announced that it will continue its operations "normally" while preparing its response to the pager attack, it has not yet claimed responsibility for any strikes since this morning.

Overnight, Hezbollah released the names of 10 of its members killed in Tuesday’s Israeli attacks — including both those from the pager explosions and the strikes on Blida and Majdal Selm.

According to information gathered by our South Lebanon correspondent, three children — two boys and a girl — were also killed in the pager explosions. He also reported that four Hezbollah fighters died in the strikes in South Lebanon.

The Health Ministry's provisional death toll remains at nine, with nearly 2,800 injured, including 200 in critical condition.

More updates from South Lebanon last night: 

- After 1 a.m., Israeli artillery fire targeted the area between the villages of Yater and Beit Leif (Bint Jbeil).

- At around 2 a.m., an Israeli airstrike hit a house in  Odaisseh (Marajyoun) and another targeted Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil).

- At around 2.30 a.m., two Israeli airstrikes targeted Shihine (Tyre) and Blida (Marjayoun), while Israeli warplanes continued to overfly South Lebanon until 4 a.m.

Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon also continued unabated overnight, according to local and security sources contacted by our correspondent.

At 10 p.m.:

- Artillery white phosphorus shells targeted Khiam in the Marjayoun district.

- Artillery shells were also fired on Houla (Marjayoun), and illuminating flares were deployed over the village and its outskitrs. 

- Artillery fire hit Markaba, Beit Lif and Hanine, all in the Bint Jbeil district.

After yesterday's simultaneous Hezbollah pager explosions, today at 6 a.m., the party paid tribute to the victims, stating: "Whether on the southern front, in Blida and Majdel Selm, or those martyred in the cowardly large-scale beeper attack."

The statement continued: "The resistance in Lebanon will continue its operations today, as usual, in support of Gaza and in defense of Lebanon," adding that these actions are "separate" from the response to the pager "massacre."

Hezbollah further stated: "What happened yesterday will make us even more determined."

Be sure to read our deep dive into yesterday's unprecedented events — Hezbollah's tampered pagers' detonations — in our special edition of the Morning Brief. Click here to read more.👈

Good morning! 

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the Gaza war and its implications on the region, particularly Lebanon.