Wave of explosions ‘introduction’ of war: Lebanese FM
BEIRUT
Mourners carry the coffins of people killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, during their funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sept. 18, 2024. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)
The detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon over the past days signals the “introduction” of a war, going beyond the daily exchange of fire on the border with Israel, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated on Thursday.
“There is no doubt it is a scary moment, and we are afraid of a coming war because we don't want a war,” Habib said in an interview with CNN.
While there were skirmishes on the border, which sometimes escalated, now “we are talking about a war,” he said, adding that the last incident is an “introduction of a war.”
“That's why we're going to the U.N. Security Council to stop this. We are against war in Lebanon," Habib noted.
Hezbollah was in disarray on Thursday after a second wave of deadly explosions swept through its strongholds across Lebanon, putting pressure on its leader to exact revenge for the operation it blames on Israel.
The attack killed 32 people in two days, including two children, and wounded more than 3,000 others.
Israel has not commented on the unprecedented operation that saw Hezbollah operatives' walkie-talkies and pagers exploding in supermarkets, at funerals and on streets.
Hezbollah said 20 of its members had been killed, with a source close to the group saying they had died when their walkie-talkies had exploded a day earlier.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was set to give a previously unscheduled televised speech that will be watched closely by both his supporters and his enemies for any signals of what shape a response might take.
Israel is ‘at new phase’
Israel’s defense minister, meanwhile, declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
“We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Sept. 18.
"The center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces," he said.
The Israeli army also decided to transfer the 98th elite brigade from the Gaza Strip to the northern border with Lebanon. The brigade was originally scheduled to continue fighting in Gaza, but it was decided in recent days to transfer it north, the army said.
In the meantime, thousands of Israelis received "fake" text messages urging them to go to their bomb shelters, according to Israeli media.
The Israeli army’s Home Front Command denied that it had sent the messages.
Israel arrests citizen in Iran plot to kill Netanyahu
In another development, Israel's police arrested an Israeli citizen allegedly recruited by Iran to plot the assassinations of top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the police and Shin Bet said on Thursday.
A court document identified the man as Mordechai Maman of Ashkelon and said he was born in 1952, without specifying his birthdate.
The joint statement from the police and Shin Bet said he was "a businessman who lived in Türkiye for an extended period" and maintained connections with Turks and Iranians who introduced him by phone to an Iranian businessman called Eddie.
