Lebanon Explosions: Nine Dead, Hundreds Injured, and Rising Tensions with Israel. Hezbollah Vows Bloody Revenge.

Lebanon has been rocked by a series of simultaneous explosions that have hit several cities, causing a tragic toll of nine deaths and hundreds of injuries. The explosions, which mainly involved radio devices such as walkie-talkies and pagers, have shocked Beirut and the south of the country, at a time of growing tension with Israel and with the Shiite group Hezbollah ready for a violent response.

According to Lebanese authorities, the explosions occurred during public events, including funerals of victims of the previous day's hacking attacks, and left a trail of devastation in several cities such as Beirut, Sidon and the Bekaa region. Images circulating on social media showed panicked scenes with people injured or dead on the ground, as fears of an escalation of violence in the region intensify. Local sources said the explosions also hit installations connected to solar panels and fingerprint systems, adding to the confusion.

Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite group, immediately responded to these explosions, pointing the finger at Israel and promising fierce revenge. The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Hashem Safieddine, said that “revenge will be bloody” and reiterated that the group will not be intimidated or defeated by these attacks. Safieddine, a cousin of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, added that the Israeli enemy “should know that we will not bend or retreat.”

International sources such as the Guardian and local Lebanese media reported that the explosions were caused by explosive-laden booby-trapped batteries recently imported by Hezbollah and fitted to Icom-V82 radios, a Japanese model widely used by the group. These booby-trapped batteries were apparently the cause of the explosions, which hit several areas simultaneously, suggesting a sophisticated coordinated operation.

To make matters worse, the Lebanese Ministry of Information confirmed that Israeli air strikes were conducted in southern Lebanon at the same time., specifically in the towns of Blida and Kfar Kila, near the border between the two countries. These airstrikes have further exacerbated tensions, especially after a barrage of rockets was launched from Lebanon towards the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, located in the northern Galilee. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, saying it targeted an Israeli military base. However, no injuries were reported as a result of this attack.

The situation has sparked chaos and anger on the streets of Lebanon. In Tyre, south of Beirut, an angry crowd attacked a car of the UNIFIL mission, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, although the soldiers inside the vehicle, of Malaysian origin, were not injured. There were no Italian soldiers involved in this incident.

In the face of this wave of violence, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the government was preparing for “possible scenarios” of a major attack by Israel. In a meeting with the government's emergency committee, Chief Nasser Yassin explained that several strategies have been developed to deal with a large-scale attack, while Lebanese officials fear that the conflict could quickly escalate.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that Israel is entering a “new phase of the conflict” and spoke of the transfer of resources and forces to the north, signaling that the country is preparing for a tough response.

In this already incandescent context, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib warned of the danger of a wider war in the Middle East, claiming that the explosion of these radio devices could only be a prelude to a wider conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

Bou Habib stressed that Israel's recent threats to escalate the war with Lebanon could send the region into a spiral of uncontrollable violence.. The international community, observing with concern the evolving situation, has called for restraint on both sides.

To discuss the current crisis, the UN has called an emergency meeting of the Security Council, which will be held on Friday at 15:21 local time (XNUMX:XNUMX Italian time), at the request of Algeria. The international community hopes that this meeting will help calm tensions and avoid a new war in a region already marked by decades of conflict.

The Lebanese population, shocked and frightened, fears that the explosions of recent days could be the signal of a new phase of violence between Israel and Hezbollah, in a conflict that could involve the entire Middle East.