▲ An Israeli airstrike on the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon, near the border, yesterday raised a thick cloud of dust and smoke.Afp Photo

Cosette Molijn and Bel Trew

The Independent

The newspaper La Jornada
Friday, September 20, 2024, p. 21

Beirut. Hezbollah accused Israel of cross all the lines with the deadly explosion of hand-held radios and beepers, as Israeli forces launched a new wave of attacks on Lebanese territory.

Sonic bombs dropped by low-flying Israeli jets shook buildings in Beirut during a televised speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in which he warned that this week’s unprecedented action could be called a declaration of war.

Tel Aviv has yet to confirm or deny that it was behind the remote explosions that killed at least 37 people, including two children. More than 3,000 people were injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, whose medical officials told the AP. The Independent who were struggling to deal with a large number of critical injuries.

In this operation, the enemy violated all laws and red lines.Nasrallah said, from an unknown location. This form of killing, targeting and crime may be unprecedented in the world.he added.

He added that hundreds of beepers used by Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group, were targeted at once, and that some of the explosions occurred in hospitals, pharmacies, markets, shops and streets filled with civilians, including women and children.

The threat of a full-scale war has loomed in the weeks leading up to this unprecedented attack, after nearly a year of clashes triggered by Israel’s war in Gaza against another Iranian ally, Hamas.

Nasrallah admitted that the attacks They dealt a painful and severe blowbut they will not deter Lebanon’s armed factions, which They will not stop before the aggression in Gaza ends.

“What happened… will only increase our strength, determination and presence,” he added, warning that his forces will strike back. where Israel does not expect it.

He echoed statements by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Hossein Salami, who, according to his country’s media, told Nasrallah last Tuesday that Israel will face the axis of resistance. The Iranian envoy to Beirut was wounded in the attack on the beepers. From that day on, Lebanon was rocked by explosions as hundreds – if not thousands – of beeper devices went off at the same time, injuring thousands and killing many, including civilians. A day later, hundreds of radio communicators, mostly used by Hezbollah members, also suddenly detonated.

UN intervention

The attacks sparked a wave of criticism. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United Nations Security Council to take a firm stance to stop the attacks. assault and technological war Israeli.

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called for calm, warning that the explosions constituted a extreme and worrying intensification in what is already an unacceptably volatile context.

Israel began moving more troops toward its border with Lebanon as a precautionary measure yesterday, officials there said. Army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said plans were in place for additional action against Hezbollah, though the government has not said whether it will launch a major offensive against Lebanon.

Hezbollah fired a new salvo toward northern Israel yesterday.

The Israeli army indicated last night that during the day its fighter planes bombed about a hundred shuttles of rockets ready to be used immediately for shooting against its territory, as well as other (…) terrorist infrastructuresin which about a thousand cannons were stored.

Serious situation in hospitals

Lebanese Health Minister Firass al-Abiad told The Independent The country’s hospitals are prepared for high-casualty events due to the conflict, but they could not have anticipated so many critical injuries at the same time. Since 2020, Lebanon has been in the grip of one of the worst economic collapses in the world, which has affected its ability to obtain medical supplies.

Dr Jihad Saade, director of the country’s largest government health facility, Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, said most of the injuries from the communications devices were to the face, hands and eyes.

We had surgery after surgery in four rooms, all of which ran simultaneously throughout the night.he explained. We are prepared, for example, for bombings, but not for serious injuries in the same specific area of ​​the body..

Doctors were unsure how many patients would be able to regain their sight and were concerned that the situation could now worsen.

At the University American In Beirut, relatives anxiously awaited news of their loved ones. A 21-year-old man said he was waiting for his brother-in-law, who sustained injuries to his hands and eyes during the first wave of explosions on Tuesday. Because of Israel, there are civilians in hospitals today. We don’t know what will happen.he added.

Saleh Zeineldine, the hospital’s chief physician, said the attacks constitute a enormous challenge.

Our capacity has been greatly reduced. We received nearly 200 patients yesterday.he declared. We have 12 operating rooms in constant operation. We have cancelled all scheduled procedures and cases to treat the injuries from this emergency..

In the southern neighborhood of Chiya, next to the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh, witnesses to Wednesday’s explosions on portable radios said people are now afraid to use any device.

© The Independent

Translation: Jorge Anaya