UPDATE: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 12:02 p.m. (EDT)
Lebanon's health minister announced that at least eight people were killed and 2,800 injured in explosions caused by a cyberattack targeting members of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The attack, which occurred earlier this morning, reportedly caused pagers used by Hezbollah members to explode.
The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon is among the injured.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
The Israeli military has declined to comment…
Reports are circulating that a cyberattack targeting Hezbollah terrorists may have caused over a thousand deaths or injuries. The attack allegedly triggered explosions in secure pagers used by members of the group.
The exploding devices, typically carried in pockets, likely caused a significant number of groin injuries.
Details of the incident are still emerging, and the full extent of the casualties remains unconfirmed. Authorities have not yet commented on the source of the cyberattack.
The New York Times provides additional information:
A Lebanese intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said that the blasts occurred after pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded across the country. Lebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad, said that hundreds of people had been injured in the blasts but that the authorities were still working to gather an exact figure.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said in a statement that many people had arrived at Lebanese hospitals after being wounded when their wireless devices exploded. The ministry warned citizens to stay away from similar devices until it was clear what had caused the blasts.
The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that 80 ambulances were responding to “multiple bombings” in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as in Beirut, the capital, and Lebanon's Internal Security Forces Directorate asked people to clear the roads so people could be rushed to hospitals.
The blasts appeared to be the latest salvo in an 11-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began last October, after Hezbollah began firing into Israeli territory in solidarity with its ally, Hamas. The conflict has largely remained contained to exchanges of missiles and rockets, but for months, leaders on either side have warned that it could expand into a war involving ground forces.
Hezbollah, or “Party of God,” is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political and militant group formally founded in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War, in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Its creation was heavily influenced by the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the values of Ayatollah Khomeini. Iran. Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), plays a crucial role in organizing, funding and arming Hezbollah. This relationship continues to this day, with Iran contributing an estimated $700 million annually to Hezbollah, cementing their strategic alliance.
Hezbollah's initial military focus was on resisting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, which began in 1982. They engaged in guerrilla warfare, including ambushes, rocket attacks and kidnappings. By 2000, after years of conflict, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon, a move Hezbollah claimed as a major victory.
The most significant armed confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel occurred in July 2006, when Hezbollah launched a cross-border raid that led to the capture of two Israeli soldiers. This triggered a month-long conflict known as the 2006 Lebanon War, in which Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into northern Israel, while Israel conducted extensive air and ground operations in Lebanon. The war ended with a U.N.-brokered ceasefire but without a decisive victory for either side. Hezbollah claimed the war as a strategic victory for having withstood Israeli forces.
Since 2006, there have been periodic flare-ups, particularly since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, which have included repeated and deadly skirmishes along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah's rocket arsenal has grown significantly, and it now poses a major threat to Israeli security, with tens of thousands of missiles capable of reaching deep into Israeli territory.
Hezbollah's activities extend beyond Lebanon and Israel. It has been linked to a number of terrorist attacks around the world, including:
-The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, which killed 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French paratroopers.
-The 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
-The 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center, also in Buenos Aires.
The U.S. State Department designated Hezbollah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 1997, primarily due to its involvement in acts of international terrorism. Many Western and Gulf Arab countries have followed suit, labeling Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, although Russia and China do not classify Hezbollah as such. Within the European Union, Hezbollah's military wing is designated a terrorist group, but not its political arm.
Despite its violent history, the Associated Press (AP) refers to Hezbollah as a militant group rather than a terrorist organization.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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