Death toll in Lebanon rises to 37 in communications equipment explosion blamed on Israel

September 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Lebanese authorities on Thursday raised the death toll to 37 following the explosion of thousands of communication devices linked to the Shiite militia-party Hezbollah between Tuesday and Wednesday, incidents blamed on Israel and which also left nearly 3,000 injured.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said that 12 people died and 2,323 were injured in the search and rescue operations on Tuesday, while 25 people died and 608 were injured in similar incidents in the country on Wednesday, according to Lebanese television channel LBCI.

The indiscriminate nature of the attacks, which was evident in explosions in places outside the military sphere or with large crowds, has been criticised by the United Nations, whose Secretary General, António Guterres, has urged not to use civilian objects as weapons, although Israel has not commented on the matter.

The escalation of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah – a group supported by Iran that has significant military and political clout in Lebanon – has raised fears of the possibility of an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East. In this context, the Israeli army presented its “operational plans” regarding Lebanon to the United States last week.