17-9-2024 (BEIRUT) Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, has reportedly sustained injuries from an unexpected pager explosion, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles and raised concerns about security in the region.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the explosion remain murky. It is yet to be determined whether Ambassador Amani was in close proximity to an individual carrying a tampered pager or if he himself was in possession of the device at the time of the incident. The exact nature and severity of the ambassador’s injuries were initially unclear, prompting speculation and concern.
However, subsequent reports from Al Jazeera, citing Arab media sources, have suggested that Amani’s injuries were “superficial”. This development has provided some relief, though questions persist about the nature of the incident and its broader implications.
The incident involving the Iranian ambassador comes amidst a backdrop of heightened tension and alarm in Lebanon. Reports have emerged of a wave of similar incidents affecting members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and political party. Eyewitness accounts from a Reuters journalist describe a harrowing scene in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut known as a Hezbollah stronghold, where hundreds of the group’s members were observed bleeding from wounds apparently caused by similar pager explosions.
This series of events has sparked panic across Lebanon, with the unexplained nature of the incidents fueling fears and speculation. The timing is particularly noteworthy, as it follows closely on the heels of a revelation by Israel’s Shin Bet security service. Just hours before the pager incidents, the Shin Bet disclosed that Hezbollah had recently attempted to assassinate a high-ranking former Israeli defence official in Tel Aviv.
