Lebanon was shaken by multiple explosions on Wednesday at a funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child, killed by a deadly explosion on Tuesday linked to electronic devices.
The blasts left one person dead and over 100 injured, intensifying fears of escalating violence in the region.
The detonations occurred as mourners gathered to pay their respects in Beirut, marking a dramatic backdrop to a bewildering series of events that began with an apparent Israeli attack.
On Tuesday, hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon and parts of Syria, leading to at least 12 fatalities, including two children, with nearly 3,000 more injured.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported the explosions at the funeral, corroborating eyewitness accounts from Associated Press journalists present at the scene. Details surrounding the blasts remain vague, with a Hezbollah official indicating that walkie-talkies employed by the organization were involved in the chaos.
Emerging details about the previous day’s attacks revealed that the pagers, manufactured by a Hungarian company, contained small amounts of hidden explosives. An anonymous U.S. official disclosed that Israel briefed the United States on the incident, although Israel has not publicly commented on the allegations.
The unexpected nature of the attacks has left Lebanon in a state of confusion and anger. The scale of the violence underscores the precarious state of affairs in the region, igniting fears that the ongoing conflict could spiral into broader warfare. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the implications of these events for potential cease-fire negotiations regarding the Israel-Hamas war are still being evaluated.
As Lebanon grapples with the aftermath of these explosions, the international community watches closely, apprehensive about the potential for escalating tensions in an already volatile region.
