Iranian president issues horrifying warning of ‘retribution’ after pager explosions
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the recent spate of electronic device explosions in Lebanon will be met with “just retribution.”
On Tuesday, pager blasts resulted in 12 deaths and over 2,000 injuries. The following day, walkie-talkie detonations claimed 20 lives and injured at least 450 people.
These attacks were aimed at Hezbollah members, an Islamist group with ties to Tehran, and Israel has been implicated in the incidents.
Israel has yet to respond to these allegations, which have been linked to its Mossad spy agency. However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Wednesday “a new phase in the war” in the Middle East.
Pezeshkian, without directly naming Israel, condemned “the treacherous mass assassination carried out by the terrorist entity through the bombing of communication devices.”
In the post translated from Farsi, he added: “God is almighty and avenging, and the criminal will surely receive just retribution.”
He further stated that Tehran “condemns this heinous crime that targeted the Lebanese and affirms its support for Lebanon, its government and people, and we call on international organizations to assume their responsibilities.”
Former Israeli Intelligence official and regional analyst Avi Melamed told Newsweek that Hezbollah had been using pagers because they believed them to be safer than phones, which could be GPS targeted.
“While Hezbollah still has the fallback wired system it created in 2008, the loss of wireless communications capabilities severely compromises its flexibility, connectivity, and maneuverability,” he said.
Melamed suggested that Tuesday’s strike might be linked to the revelation about Israel’s security services thwarting a Hezbollah assassination attempt on former Israeli defense minister and IDF chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon, in Tel Aviv.
The attack, coupled with Israel’s military stance and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Egypt to negotiate a peace agreement for the war in Gaza, indicates that the US and Israel “are signaling Iran directly” to push Hamas towards a compromise, according to Melamed.
Israeli threats to hit Hezbollah when the group is vulnerable could weaken Iran’s grip over Lebanon and mean “weakening its most significant proxy,” added Melamed.
Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed faction that controls large parts of Lebanon, have been exchanging attacks across their shared border.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that the attacks could escalate into full-blown conflict, urging both sides to exercise restraint.
He suggested it could be a “pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,” and announced that the UN Security Council is set to convene on Friday to discuss the matter.
Source » msn.com
