Israeli army asks public to exercise caution as Hezbollah vows retaliation for deadly pager explosions

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Tuesday urged its citizens to exercise caution after Hezbollah vowed retaliation for deadly pager explosions across Lebanon.

“The Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, held a situational assessment this evening (Tuesday), with the participation of the General Staff Forum, focusing on readiness in both offense and defense in all arenas,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

“At this time there is no change to the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. The public is asked to remain alert and vigilant, and any change in policy will be updated immediately,” the statement said.

At least nine people, including a child, were killed in a mass explosion of the pager devices in different areas across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firas Al-Abiad.

He added that some 2,750 other people were also injured, including 200 in critical condition.

According to Israeli news website Walla, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the explosion of wireless communication devices, or pagers, in Lebanon during security consultations with senior ministers and intelligence chiefs earlier this week.

Pagers, often used by civilians and health care workers for communication, are small, battery-powered wireless devices that receive text messages, audio, and visual signals.

Hezbollah confirmed that at least two members were killed and many injured in the mass explosion and held Israel fully responsible for the incident, vowing ‘just retaliation from unexpected quarters’ to Israel.

The mass explosion of pagers came amid an exchange of cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio