Kremlin says Russian intelligence analyzing deadly explosions in Lebanon

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Kremlin said Friday that Russian special services are closely monitoring the pager explosions in Lebanon and will take appropriate action.

"This is a matter of significant interest to our intelligence services, and they will carry out their responsibilities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a news conference in Moscow.

When asked if Moscow had engaged in discussions with regional players regarding the incident, Peskov responded: "No, there have been no discussions so far."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 37 people were killed and more than 3,250 others, including women and children, injured in a series of explosions involving wireless communication devices, including pagers and two-way radios. Beirut and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the attacks.

Multiple media outlets reported that Israel placed small explosive charges inside imported pager devices before they reached Lebanon and then this week detonated them remotely.

Israel has remained silent on the deadly attacks. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced itself from a post on X by his advisor, Topaz Luk, which hinted at Tel Aviv’s responsibility for the explosions before it was deleted.

Numerous countries have condemned the pager explosions and expressed solidarity with Lebanon, while international human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, warned that such attacks endanger civilian lives and violate the laws of war.

The explosions have heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah amid the ongoing Gaza conflict, where over 41,300 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Hamas launched a cross-border attack on Oct. 7.