Lebanon exploding pagers latest: Lebanon’s army destroys suspicious devices as country on edge after explosions

Orla Guerin
Senior international correspondent, reporting from Beirut

Image source, EPA

Lebanon’s
Health Minister Firass Abiad has told the BBC he thinks the two waves of attacks
in recent days – in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded
without warning – constitute a war crime.

The attacks – which killed 32 people
included two children – have been widely blamed on Israel, which has not
claimed responsibility.

The
minister says Lebanon has called for a meeting of the UN security council on
the issue and hopes to have “productive discussions on the matter”.

He
says “the weaponisation of technology” was something very serious, not only for
Lebanon but also for the rest of the world, and for other conflicts. “Now we
have to think twice before using technology,” he tells me.

The
dead and injured in Lebanon include fighters from Hezbollah – the Iranian
backed armed group which is classed as a terrorist organisation by the UK and
the US. But members of their families have also been killed or wounded,
along with innocent bystanders.

“The
whole world could see that these attacks occurred in markets,” he says. “These were
not people who were at the battleground fighting. They were in civilian areas
with their families.”

Amid
growing fears of all-out war, the minister says Lebanon needs to prepare for
the worst.

“So, I think that we need to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” he says. “The
two attacks in the last day, show that their intent (Israel) is not towards a
diplomatic solution.”

“What I know is the position of my
government is clear. From day one, we believe that Lebanon does not want
war.”