BEIRUT: Hezbollah said on Wednesday it attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in the first strike at its arch-foe since pager blasts killed at least 26 people and injured thousands on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lebanon and raised the prospect of a wider regional war.
The second wave of explosions took place on Wednesday in Hezbollah strongholds, which killed at least 14 people and injured over 450, a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up killing at least 12 and wounding more than 2,800.
There was no immediate word on when Hezbollah had launched its latest rocket attack, but normally the Lebanese group announces such strikes shortly after carrying them out, suggesting it fired at the Israeli artillery positions on Wednesday.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, whose military declined to comment on the explosions. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since last October, fueling fears of a wider regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran.
Hezbollah has openly accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks, with a spokesperson declaring the group holds Israel “fully responsible for this criminal aggression” and promising retaliation. The group has also stated that it will continue to support Hamas in Gaza.
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The Taiwanese manufacturer of the pagers involved, Gold Apollo, denied responsibility for the devices that exploded, clarifying that they were produced under license by a company called BAC, based in Budapest. Reports suggest that the pagers were modified by Israeli intelligence, with explosives concealed within the devices, making them virtually undetectable.
Sources said that about 3,000 pagers detonated when a coded message was sent, simultaneously activating the hidden explosives. A senior Lebanese security source claimed that Israeli operatives had infiltrated the supply chain months in advance, embedding explosives in the devices prior to their delivery to Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned Israel for pushing the Middle East toward the brink of a regional war, emphasizing the dangerous escalation on multiple fronts.
Experts suggest that while Hezbollah is eager to avoid an all-out war, the scale of recent events may pressure the group into a more aggressive response.
Israel’s spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of sophisticated operations on foreign soil, planted explosives inside pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday’s detonations, a senior Lebanese security official said.
