Image Credits - Al Jazeera
Fourteen people have been wounded in Syria following explosions of communication devices, including pagers, used by Hezbollah, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. The explosions occurred in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surrounding countryside. The nationalities of those wounded are still unknown.
This incident comes in the wake of a much larger blast in Lebanon, where at least eight people were killed, and 2,750 others wounded after pagers, many of which were reportedly linked to Hezbollah members and institutions, exploded simultaneously across the country. The blasts in Lebanon, which affected various regions including Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, have been attributed by Hezbollah and the Lebanese cabinet to Israel, though Israel has yet to comment officially on the matter.
The explosions have raised significant concerns across the region, as Hezbollah plays a powerful role both in Lebanon and Syria, where the group is involved in various military operations. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report underscores the broader impact of the incident, extending the consequences beyond Lebanon’s borders into Syria.
While the cause of the pager explosions is still under investigation, some experts believe that the devices may have been rigged with explosives or detonated remotely using an electronic pulse. Both the Lebanese and Syrian governments are continuing their investigations as tensions between Hezbollah and Israel heighten, with the risk of further escalation looming in the region.