Pagers held by Hezbollah members explode simultaneously in Lebanon
11 people have been killed and around 4,000 have reportedly been injured in Lebanon – including 200 critically – after pagers held by Hezbollah members simultaneously exploded this afternoon. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the blasts and threatened retaliation.
Seven people were also killed in Syria, in the Shia-stronghold of Seyedah Zeinab, Damascus, according to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated news networks.
Hezbollah said it holds Israel “fully responsible”, adding that its “martyrs and wounded” were sacrificed “on the road to Jerusalem” and vowed to respond “where the enemy expects it and where it does not expect”.
Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary said Lebanon condemned “Israeli aggression”.
Israel has not responded to allegations of its involvement in the explosions. The IDF said that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi had held a situation assessment with IDF commanders “with an emphasis on readiness for attack and defence in all arenas”.
The Hezbollah terror group has claimed that seven of its fighters were killed, as well as the 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member who was standing next to him when his pager exploded. One of the Hezbollah members killed is believed to be the son of Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Ammar.
Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani is reportedly among the injured.
The pagers are believed to be a new brand brought in by the terror group in recent months. Hezbollah members had been advised by leader Hassan Nasrallah not to carry mobile phones over fears that Israel would be able to track their movements. It has been widely reported that the devices first heated up, then exploded, though it has not yet been established how they were detonated.
In recent days, Israeli leaders have highlighted the importance of returning internally displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel. Around 80,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes across Israel’s north amid daily attacks by Hezbollah. Nearly 8,000 rockets have been launched by Hezbollah towards Israel since 8th October, following the Hamas-led 7th October attacks.
Hamas chief Sinwar praises Houthi terror group for strike on central Israel
Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar praised the leader of the Houthi terror group in control of northern Yemen after it launched a ballistic missile – reportedly dubbed “Palestine 2” – on Sunday, reaching deep into central Israel.
“I congratulate you on your success in reaching the depth of the enemy entity”, wrote Sinwar in a letter to Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, as reported by Houthi-affiliated media.
The missile flew for 11 and a half minutes before disintegrating upon re-entry into the atmosphere, triggering IDF interceptors over Israeli airspace, and sirens which sounded across central Israel at around 6:35AM.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country will inflict a “heavy price” against the proxy militia. “We are in a multi-arena campaign against Iran’s evil axis that strives to destroy us”, Netanyahu continued.
Although the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group utilised a new hypersonic ballistic missile for the attack, the IDF said the missile was not hypersonic.
The Houthi spokesman said the attack was part of a “fifth phase” of escalation. The Houthi terror group has fired over 220 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles at Israel since October 2023, mostly toward Israel’s southern port city Eilat.
West Bank tunnel complex discovered beside hospital
A complex tunnel system has been discovered by the IDF in the West Bank, adjacent to a hospital in the Tulkarem camp, Israeli forces announced on Friday.
“The forces are continuing to investigate the complex and will dismantle it”, said the IDF, following the reported renewal of its major “Summer Camps” operation across the Jordan Valley on 10th September.
Tunnels like those discovered in Tulkarem are widespread and well known in Gaza, but have so far been stalled in the West Bank by pinpoint Israeli operations designed to counter the prevalence of Iran-backed terror groups in the territory.
The network was reportedly being constructed at the time of discovery, and was not yet equipped with an exit.
Four bomb manufacturing laboratories and the same number of communication centres equipped with cameras, a weapons manufacturing machine and related parts, together with many IEDs were all discovered in Tulkarem.
Operation “Summer Camps” was initiated on 28th August. 10 armed terrorists have been killed during the operation, together with 15 terrorists reportedly hit by IDF strikes. Sniper rifles, two M-16s, handguns and other weaponry have been seized during the operation.
Five armed terrorists were also reportedly killed by an IDF aircraft in Tubas on 13th September.
Hostage testimony: Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon held in cages
Freed hostage Adina Moshe, 72, has told Israeli media that she saw fellow Nir Oz hostages Yarden Bibas and Ofer Kalderon being kept in cages by Hamas in Gaza.
Moshe explained that the two caged men “had confronted Hamas” during their abduction. Two days after seeing them, she reportedly asked her Hamas captors if she could meet with other hostages from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
After another two days, Hamas permitted an hour long meeting, before returning the two to their cage. The event was followed by a two hour long meeting the following day.
“Shiri and the children stayed inside… I really hope they didn’t get to them”, the Bibas father reportedly told Moshe. His family became a symbol of the brutal Hamas-led 7th October attacks after images emerged of the kidnapping of his wife, Shiri, and her two children, 4-year-old Ariel and Kfir, 9 months.
“At some point, I asked Hamas if Shiri and the children were with them”, said Moshe, who “established a good and fair relationship with Hamas from the beginning, understanding it would be in [the hostages] best interest”. However, she only elaborated that Hamas told her it would “take time to find out”.
Moshe added that after leaving hospital, she tried to “illustrate” Hamas’ “almost infinite” tunnel network for the Shin Bet, detailing “the phone lines, power supplies, booby traps, confinement areas – things they couldn’t have imagined existed”.
Ofer Calderon, who was also seen by Moshe, was kidnapped together with his 16 and 12-year-old children, who were released after 52 days of captivity.
In November, Hamas stated that it “no longer has” the Bibas children, and released a propaganda video of Yarden being told that his family had been killed.
Adina Moshe was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz after seeing her husband murdered by Hamas. She was released after 49 days of captivity in Gaza.
School bag stuffed with weapons discovered by IDF in Rafah
Weapons were found inside a school bag during a “precise, intelligence-based operations in the area of Tel al-Sultan in Rafah”, the IDF reported on Saturday.
Israeli forced have killed over 100 terrorists, “located and destroyed launchers, weapons caches, and terrorist infrastructure during operational activity in the area over the past few days”, the IDF wrote on X.
