The Russian government is speaking out against the apparent use of exploding pagers to simultaneously strike thousands of individuals connected with a terrorist group in Lebanon.
Over 3,000 members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group were killed on Tuesday after a near simultaneous detonation of the organization’s pagers erupted across Lebanon, killing at least 12.
“What has happened, whatever it is, is certainly leading to an escalation of tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, according to translations from Agence France-Presse.
HEZBOLLAH PAGERS THAT EXPLODED WERE MADE IN HUNGARY, TAIWANESE COMPANY SAYS
Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
“The region itself is in an explosive situation,” he added. “And every incident like this has the potential to be a trigger.”
The pagers started heating up and exploding around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The blasts were concentrated in areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon and in Damascus, Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official told the Associated Press.
Russia maintains a strategic alliance with Iran, which backs Hezbollah as a proxy combatant against Israel.
“We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law through the use of unconventional weapons,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to Agence France-Presse.
HEZBOLLAH’S NEIGHBORS: ISRAELI BORDER COMMUNITY UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM TERROR GROUP
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a press conference held by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)
She added, “Amid growing tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border, such irresponsible actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they provoke a new round of escalation.
A senior U.S. official has confirmed to Fox News that Israel was behind the explosions as fresh blasts are being reported in Beirut.
Lebanon Health Minister Firas Abiad told reporters Wednesday morning that many of the wounded had severe injuries to the eyes, and others had limbs amputated.
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An ambulance carries wounded people whose handheld pager exploded, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ((AP Photo/Hassan Ammar))
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has affirmed his nation’s intent to bolster cooperation with Russia in the coming months.
“My government will seriously follow ongoing cooperation and measures to upgrade the level of relations between the two countries,” Pezeshkian told Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday.
He continued, “Relations between Tehran and Moscow will develop in a permanent, continuous and lasting way. Deepening and strengthening relations and cooperation between Iran and Russia will reduce the impact of sanctions.”
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
