What we know about the latest wave of attacks in Lebanon
- The second round of explosions in Lebanon took place on Wednesday after hand-held radios or walkie-talkies used by members of Hezbollah detonated across the country. As we’ve been reporting, the attacks killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 450.
- The explosions – which came a day after the deadly pager blasts across Lebanon – took place in Beirut, as well as Hezbollah strongholds in southern and eastern parts of the country.
- Some of the blasts hit as funerals were being held for the victims of the pager attacks. The death toll from Tuesday’s explosions has risen to 12, with at least 2,800 others wounded. Victims included children and healthcare workers.
- Casualties from the attacks have overwhelmed Lebanon’s hospitals, with a doctor at the American University of Beirut Medical Center describing “stressful” scenes as more than 150 patients arrived at the facility in less than three hours on Tuesday.
- Hashem Safieddin, the head of Hezbollah’s executive council, said the Lebanese group was in a “new confrontation” with Israel and that it would respond to the latest attacks with “special punishment”.
- Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib meanwhile warned the “blatant assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security” was a dangerous development that could “signal a wider war”.
- There has been no comment from Israel, but the country’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli troops that the “centre of gravity is moving northward” to the Lebanon border and that “we are at the start of a new phase in the war”.
Photos: Panic, mourning in Lebanon after second wave of deadly explosions
People gather as firefighters put out flames at the scene of a reported device explosion in Saida in southern Lebanon on September 18
Lebanese army soldiers prepare to carry out a controlled explosion of a walkie-talkie device outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center, in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 18
Boy scouts raise the picture of a fellow scout who was killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave of attacks across Lebanon
Lebanon’s health minister warns toll from walkie-talkie blasts may rise
Firass Abiad said the explosions on Wednesday involved “larger and bigger devices that caused more damage”.
“We’ve observed a significant number of injuries, although many are mild. However, those who sustained serious injuries were severely affected, which raises our concern about a potential rise in the number of deaths,” he told Al Jazeera.
Abiad said the wounds from explosions involve “internal bleeding, injuries to the abdomen and other parts of the body, including brain haemorrhages”.
The Lebanese health minister told Al Jazeera Wednesday’s attacks took place as hospitals were already struggling to cope with the influx of victims from the previous day.
“We have over 300 patients in intensive care, and 400 requiring surgeries and other treatments,” he said.
“Additionally, the entire healthcare sector in Lebanon is exhausted and burdened by the challenges we have faced in recent years: the ongoing economic crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, the port explosion, and the migration of doctors and nurses. All of this has indeed weighed heavily on the sector.”
Still, Lebanon’s healthcare workers stepped up to the task, he said. “More than 90 hospitals and 1,100 ambulances were involved, and we transported around 1,800 patients. The response was excellent,” he said.
Abiad also said Lebanon received support from its neighbours. “There is an air bridge from Iraq, directed by the prime minister, with two planes carrying approximately 100 tonnes of medical supplies. Additionally, medical aid has arrived from Jordan for the Lebanese army, and there is also support from other countries such as Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Iran,” he said.
A wounded man undergoes an operation, following pager detonations across Lebanon, at a hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, September 18
