Kumar Bahukhandi
The 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member was killed in east Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley when his pager exploded, her family and a source close to the group said.
Beirut: Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said nine people were killed and some 2,800 wounded in pager explosions across the country Tuesday September 17 , with Hezbollah earlier saying the pagers were used by its members.
The sons of Hezbollah lawmakers Ali Ammar and Hassan Fadlallah were among the dead, a source close to the group told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The blasts “killed nine people, including a girl”, minister Firass Abiad said in a casualty update.
“About 2,800 people were injured, about 200 of them critically” with injuries mostly reported to the face, hands and stomach, he added.
The 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member was killed in east Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley when his pager exploded, her family and a source close to the group said.
Iran’s ambassador to Beirut was also wounded in a pager explosion but his injuries were not serious, state media reported.
In neighbouring Syria, 14 people were wounded “after pagers used by Hezbollah exploded,” Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Hezbollah- an ally of Hamas, said Israel is fully responsible for the pager attacks.
On Tuesday September 17 , hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria.
A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that “several hundred” people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when their handheld pagers exploded.
He said a few Hezbollah fighters were also wounded in Syria when the pagers they were carrying exploded, and said it was believed to be an Israeli attack.
