Israel Escalation in Lebanon: 2,750 injured in explosions

The conflict between Israel and the Shiite Hezbollah militia continues to escalate: around 2,750 people have been injured and 8 people killed in Lebanon in suspected coordinated explosions of many portable radio receivers. The condition of around 200 of the injured is critical, explained Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad at a press conference in the capital Beirut.

According to the Hezbollah militia, members of the organization were also injured. Members of the elite Radwan force are also said to have been among the injured. High-ranking Hezbollah representatives are also said to have been injured, as confirmed by a source close to the militia. The reasons for the simultaneous explosions were being investigated, the organization explained.

It was suspected that Israel may have deliberately detonated the devices as an attack on Hezbollah fighters. Israel's army did not initially comment on the incidents. Immediately before the explosions, Israeli media reported on "dramatic consultations" between the political leadership.

Videos from surveillance cameras in Lebanon showed small explosions in supermarkets, for example. In some cases, people were lying on the ground afterwards. According to local media, the explosions occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is particularly strong, as well as in the south of the country.

Panic in the streets

Eyewitnesses reported panic in the streets of Beirut. Numerous ambulances were deployed. The Lebanese Ministry of Health called on all hospitals to be on high alert and asked people not to use radios. The exploded devices are said to be portable radio pagers, also known as pagers. The ministry called for blood donations.

According to media reports, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Modshtaba Amani, was also injured in the explosion of a pager. The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the pager belonged to a bodyguard. Amani was taken to a hospital for observation, it said. Hezbollah is the most important non-state ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Israel speaks of the necessity of a military operation in Lebanon

After almost a year of continuous fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, there have recently been increasing signs that the conflict could escalate into open warfare. The return of Israeli citizens who have fled to their homes in the north of the country is now one of Israel's declared war aims - alongside the liberation of hostages from the Gaza Strip and the destruction of Hamas.

The only way to achieve this is "a military operation", said Israel's Defense Minister Joav Galant on Monday during a meeting with US mediator Amos Hochstein, according to his office. The possibility of a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Hezbollah is receding further and further into the distance because the militia has linked its fate with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and is refusing to end the conflict, he said.

Conflict between Hezbollah and Israel

Since the beginning of the Gaza war almost a year ago, there have been almost daily confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli military in the border region. There have been casualties on both sides as a result of the shelling - most of them members of Hezbollah. According to Israeli reports, three Hezbollah fighters were killed in an attack on a town in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Since then, around 60,000 Israelis have had to leave their homes and apartments in many villages and the town of Kiriat Shmona in northern Israel. Many of those affected have been living in hotels paid for by the state for months. Dozens of houses and infrastructure were damaged in several villages in the Israeli border region. The military has always been present in the area. Since the start of the fighting with Hezbollah, however, there have also been army checkpoints on roads used by civilians. Thousands of people have also fled from southern Lebanon to other parts of the country.

The Israeli domestic intelligence service Shin Bet declared that it had foiled a bomb attack by Hezbollah on a former high-ranking Israeli security representative. The attack had been planned for the coming days, it said. The explosive device had been equipped with a remote detonator, connected to a camera and a cell phone. This meant that the bomb could have been detonated by Hezbollah from Lebanon.

Hezbollah prepared for "any scenario"

Under Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah has steadily expanded its influence with support from Tehran. This reaches deep into the Lebanese state, which has been paralyzed by crises. The organization primarily controls the south on the border with Israel, Shiite-inhabited districts of the capital Beirut and the Bekaa Plain in the north of the country. Hezbollah considers itself prepared for "any scenario", according to informed sources.

Observers assume further military action

Observers assume that there could be further and possibly larger military clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in the near future. However, the possible extent of the confrontation is unclear, Riad Kahwaji, Director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), told dpa. There are also different opinions on this within the Israeli government. According to political analyst Makram Rabah, an Israeli deployment of ground troops in Lebanon is likely. "But it's a question of timing," he said.

Report: Full-scale war with Hezbollah closer than ever before

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" reported, citing political and military circles, that Israel is closer than ever to an all-out war with Hezbollah. However, a large-scale war would still be risky for all sides.

Israel wants to use military and diplomatic pressure to ensure that the Hezbollah militia withdraws behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by UN Resolution 1701.

Further mediation efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to work in Egypt until Thursday to revive talks to end the war in Gaza. An agreement between Israel and Hamas currently seems all but impossible. Israel wants to destroy Hamas in the war - but time and again many uninvolved Palestinians are killed. Egypt, Qatar and the USA have been mediating in the conflict for months without success.

SDA