From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
In 1st statement, Hezbollah says it’s probing pager blasts that killed 3, doesn’t blame Israel
Gianluca Pacchiani is the Arab affairs reporter for The Times of Israel
Hezbollah issues its first statement after the coordinated detonation of hundreds of pagers used by its members — in which over 1,000 were reportedly injured — saying two men and a girl have been killed.
The terror group says it’s carrying out a wide-ranging investigation into the attack, and notably does not point the finger at Israel.
It calls on people to be aware of “rumors and false and misleading information” that could serve the “psychological warfare” conducted by the “Zionist enemy,” in light of Israel’s threats to launch a large-scale offensive in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah further says that “a large number of people” were wounded and are being treated in hospitals in various parts of Lebanon, and that two “brothers” — meaning members of the terror group — and a girl were killed in one of the detonations. Lebanese media and the family have named the latter victim as 9-year-old Fatima Jaafar Abdullah.
