Page 13 - Lebanon

Israel warned US about operation in Lebanon but gave no details: Officials

Israel warned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a call Tuesday that a military operation was going to take place in Lebanon but gave no details, US officials said Thursday. The same day of the call, in an attack widely blamed on Israel, thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah militants exploded. The call was one of four between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week as attacks have spiked between Israel and Hezbollah, fuelling worries that they could escalate into a wider regional war. The two spoke again later Tuesday, and the US has acknowledged being briefed following the attack. There was another call Wednesday, and they also spoke Sunday, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. The officials said the US did not get advance warning of the second wave of attacks, with walkie-talkie radios targeted Wednesday. At least 37 people were killed, including two children, and some 3,000 wounded in the two days of ...

Qatar Airways prohibits pagers, walkie-talkies on Lebanon flights

The airlines said that the restriction applies to checked and carry-on luggage, as well as cargo

Pagers' explosion in Lebanon sound global alarm for supply-chain security

Lebanese officials believe the gadgets were rigged with explosives as part of an elaborate attack allegedly by Israel

Hezbollah leader vows retaliation against Israel for attacks on devices

The leader of Hezbollah vowed on Thursday to keep up daily strikes on Israel despite this week's deadly sabotage of its members' communication devices, and said Israelis displaced from homes near the Lebanon border because of the fighting would not be able to return until the war in Gaza ends. Hezbollah and Israel launched fresh attacks across the border as Hassan Nasrallah spoke for the first time since the mass bombing of devices in Lebanon and Syria that he described as a severe blow and for which he promised to retaliate. The two days of attacks targeting thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies have been widely blamed on Israel, heightening fears that 11 months of near-daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel will escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks. During Nasrallah's speech, Hezbollah struck at least four times in northern Israel, and two Israeli soldiers were killed in a strike earlier in the day.

How Israel built modern-day trojan horse equipped for exploding pagers

In Lebanon, as Israel picked off senior Hezbollah commandos with targeted assassinations, their leader came to a conclusion: If Israel was going high-tech, Hezbollah would go low

News updates: Report of MSP panel to be made public soon, says central govt

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Hezbollah leader says device attack crossed 'red line,' fears of war mount

The leader of Hezbollah on Thursday said this week's deadly attack on the Lebanon-based militant group's communications devices was a severe blow that crossed a red line. Hassan Nasrallah said the group is investigating how the two-day attack, which killed more than 30, wounded thousands and was widely believed to be carried out by Israel. Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow, Nasrallah said. The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines," he added. As usual, Nasrallah spoke by video from an undisclosed location. Hezbollah typically convenes a rally for supporters to watch his speeches on a big screen, but this time they did not.

Israel, Hezbollah exchange strikes as Nasrallah vows payback post attack

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes along the border on Thursday as the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed retaliation for attacks on the group's devices. He said Israel targeted thousands of pagers and detonated them at the same time crossing a red line". In his speech, the Hezbollah leader vowed retaliation against Israel over this week's explosions in Lebanon saying the enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don't expect. While its leader Nasrallah was speaking, Hezbollah announced four strikes on northern Israel. The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group defied Israel's leaders on Thursday that they will not be able to return tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes to northern Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues.

Israel declares new phase of war, turns focus toward Lebanon, Hezbollah

Israel's defence minister has declared the start of a new phase of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Two waves of explosive attacks hit Syria and Lebanon: an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah that killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday, and exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics Wednesday across Lebanon that killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others. We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Wednesday. The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council promised the group would respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with special punishment. Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas' October 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several

Hezbollah fires volley at Israel as fears of greater war rise after bombing

Hezbollah fired a new barrage into northern Israel on Thursday, continuing its drumbeat of exchanges with the Israeli military as fears of a greater war rise after hundreds of electronic devices exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 3,000 others. The device explosions appeared to be the culmination of a monthslong operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible all at once. Over two days, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, wounding and even crippling some fighters, but also maiming civilians connected to the group's social branches and killing at least two children. It was unclear how the attack fit into warnings by Israeli leaders in recent weeks that they could launch a stepped-up military operation against Hezbollah, Lebanon's strongest armed force. The Israeli government has called it a war aim to end the Iranian-backed group's crossborder fire in order to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to ...

After explosions in Lebanon, is Israel preparing for war with Hezbollah?

With Israel's defense minister announcing a new phase of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before. Hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict appear to be fading quickly as Israel signals a desire to change the status quo in the country's north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war's opening salvo by Hamas. In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country's security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Here's a look at how Israel is preparing for a war with Lebanon: Troops drawn from Gaza to the northern border While the daily fighting between Israe

Pager, walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon: Who is targeting Hezbollah and why?

A day after large-scale pager explosions targeting Hezbollah, Lebanon was shaken by blasts from walkie-talkies and solar equipment on Wednesday. The militant group blames Israel for the attacks

Walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon kill at least 14, injure 450 others

The latest attack comes just a day after 12 people were killed and more than 2800 others were wounded in a coordinated explosion of pagers

New wave of blasts hits Lebanon; Israel declares 'new phase' of war

Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and multiple parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting electronic devices a day after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and Hezbollah officials said. At least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said. The attacks, which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah, have hiked fears that the two sides' simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, We are at the start of a new phase in the war it requires courage, determination and perseverance. He made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying the results are very impressive. In Wednesday's attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah memb

Hezbollah hand-held radios explode across Lebanon, 9 killed, 300 injured

Lebanon's health ministry said nine people had been killed and more than 300 injured, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured

Pagers that exploded in Lebanon, Syria were made in Budapest: Taiwan firm

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them. The pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo. Gold Apollo said the AR-924 pagers used by the Hezbollah militant group were produced and sold by a company called BAC that was authorised to use Gold Apollo's trademark in some regions. According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC, the statement read. Experts believe explosive material was put into the pagers prior to their delivery and use in a sophisticated supply chain infiltration. Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had an authorisation agreement w

Pager explosions in Lebanon: How attack was planned over 6 months ago

Simultaneous pager explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least nine people and injured 2,700. These devices were being used by the militant group Hezbollah, which blamed Israel for the attack

Taiwan firm Gold Apollo denies it made pagers used in Lebanon attacks

On Tuesday, thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000

Pagers explode in Lebanon, Syria in deadly attack. Here're the details.

In what appears to be a sophisticated, remote attack, pagers used by hundreds of members of Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria Tuesday, killing at least nine people including an 8-year-old girl and wounding thousands more. The Iran-backed militant group blamed Israel for the deadly explosions, which targeted an extraordinary breadth of people and showed signs of being a long-planned operation. How the attack was executed is largely uncertain and investigators have not immediately said how the pagers were detonated. The Israeli military has declined to comment. Here's what we know so far. Why were pagers used in the attack? Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group's movements. As a result, the organisation uses pagers to communicate. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the exploded devices were from a new brand the group had not used

8 including Hezbollah members killed in pager explosions in Lebanon, Syria

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others. Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded 200 of them critically. Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated