Close to 40 killed and around 3,000 injured. These are the latest figures following what appears to be an Israeli intelligence operation targeting members of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. The pagers that have exploded are now linked to a company owned by a Norwegian citizen. – Israel has now crossed a red line, said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah, when he gave a speech to his supporters on Thursday afternoon. He called the Israeli attacks via pagers and communications material a pure massacre. RED LINE. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nazrallah says Israel through its actions in recent days has crossed a red line. Photo: Reuters But he admitted at the same time that the Israeli action has been a serious blow to Hezbollah. A company in Hungary pretended to produce pagers, of which Hezbollah is said to have ordered 5,000. What they did not know was that Israel was behind the company. In the pagers they hid explosives and sent them to Lebanon. Hezbollah still knew nothing about Israel’s involvement and used the equipment. Seconds after Israel pressed the button, it exploded all over Lebanon. Several were killed and many were injured, both adults and children. Source: Anonymous sources to the New York Times (NYT) and investigations by BBC Verify. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it is behind the attacks. At the same time, according to the Reuters news agency, the residents of the Lebanese capital could hear the sound of Israeli fighter jets breaking the sound barrier on Thursday. The Israeli Defense Forces: We will take back security The Israeli Defense Force confirms that its fighter jets have attacked villages in Lebanon. “The terrorist organization Hezbollah has turned the southern part of Lebanon into a war zone. They also use civilians as human shields,” writes the Israeli army in a press release, according to the Reuters news agency. The attack is said to have continued throughout the afternoon. The Israeli army chief writes that what he calls a plan for the northern areas has been approved. “The Israeli army IDF aims to restore security in the northern part of Israel so that the inhabitants can return to their homes, in addition to achieving the goals set for this war,” says the IDF. French President Emmanuel Macron is urging the parties to the conflict to avoid escalating the situation in order to avoid war. France has traditionally had close relations with Lebanon. Published 19.09.2024, at 16.21 Updated 19.09.2024, at 16.38
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