US denies involvement in Lebanon pager explosions
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the United States denied any involvement in the mass explosions of pagers across Lebanon, which left several dead and thousands injured.
"I can tell you that the US was not involved in it, the US was not aware of this incident in advance and, at this point, we're gathering information," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
"We're collecting information in the same way that journalists are across the world, to gather the facts about what might have happened," he added.
The explosions, which occurred simultaneously across Lebanon, killed nine people and injured around 2,800, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said during a televised press conference.
"More than 200 people are critically wounded, with injuries mainly to the face, hands, and stomach," Abiad added. Among the dead were a Hezbollah lawmaker’s son and a 10-year-old daughter of a group member.
Hezbollah, Lebanon's powerful Shiite militant group, blamed Israel for the blasts. "We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression," Hezbollah said in a statement, vowing that Israel "will certainly receive its just punishment." There has been no immediate response from Israel's military regarding the accusations.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Tehran’s ambassador in Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in one of the explosions.
In neighboring Syria, fourteen people were also wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Hezbollah had instructed its members to avoid using mobile phones since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, instead relying on a proprietary telecommunications network to avoid potential Israeli surveillance.
