Turkish foreign minister holds talks with Lebanese premier following pager explosions

By Can Efesoy

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday spoke over the phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and extended condolences over the loss of lives in explosions of wireless communication devices.

According to diplomatic sources, the discussion focused on the details of the explosions and their aftermath.

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

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

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.