Arab, Islamic countries show solidarity with Lebanon following pager blasts

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – Several Arab and Islamic countries have voiced solidarity with Lebanon and offered medical assistance following pager explosions that killed at least 12 people and injured thousands in Lebanon.

The pagers, wireless telecommunications devices, exploded Tuesday in several areas in Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, which Lebanese media suggested was an Israeli breach of the system.

Lebanese security sources said that Israel’s spy agency Mossad planted explosives inside the pagers used by Hezbollah members months before they exploded.

Lebanese Ambassador to the United Nations, Hadi Hachem, described the pager blasts as an "aggression which rises to a war crime" and warned that it would exacerbate the conflict.

There was no comment from Israel on the pager blasts, but Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against Israel following the explosions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati during which he expressed sorrow over casualties in the blasts.

He described Israel's attempts to spread the conflict in the region as "dangerous," stressing that efforts to stop Israel will continue.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib received a phone call from his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, who expressed his country’s solidarity with Lebanon following the blasts.

Abdelatty said Egypt is ready to provide every possible aid to Lebanon to treat the injured from the blasts.

Bou Habib also received another phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who extended his condolences and offered help to provide medical attention to those injured in the explosions.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Al-Abiad also had a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Mohammadreza Zafarghandi, who said that Iran was ready to provide medical aid and support to the victims of the blasts.

The Iraqi Health Ministry dispatched a shipment of medical aid and crews to help in efforts to treat the injured, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported.

A medical team of physicians and paramedics from the Iranian Red Crescent also arrived in Beirut to provide relief and medical care for the wounded, according to the state news agency IRNA.

Jordan King Abdullah II also ordered the dispatch of a C-130 aircraft to deliver urgent aid to Lebanon's health care sector in the aftermath of the explosions.

The pager blasts came amid mounting border escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Tel Aviv’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 41,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar