According to the official updates from Lebanon, 12 people were killed when thousands of pagers exploded on Tuesday and 20 in the walkie-talkie blasts on Wednesday, but in Israel officials believe that the announced dead and injured from the pager explosions is significantly lower than reality. It is estimated that there are many dozens of dead, if not more.
Significant damage was inflicted on Hezbollah's special operation forces unit Radwan force, which lost large parts of its command structure. At least 450 were injured in the explosion of the hand-held walkie-talkie radios throughout Lebanon, and these join the more than 3,000 Hezbollah operatives who were injured by the pager blasts. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah is expected to give a speech on Thursday, in his first public remarks since the series of explosions in Lebanon.
Pagers explode on Tuesday in Lebanon
U.S. officials publicly expressed anger at not receiving an update on the operation to blow up the pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon that could lead to war while conducting diplomatic efforts for a settlement. But three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Israeli officials had informed the United States of the intention to carry out an operation in Lebanon - including in the conversation this week between Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and his counterpart Lloyd Austin - but did not provide additional details about that operation.
"The fact that no details were given about the operation meant that the United States was left in the dark until the reports of the explosions shortly after," a source said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was on his way from Washington to Cairo when the stunned American diplomats watched live on their television screens on the plane the news from Lebanon of the operation that was reportedly a joint operation by the Mossad and the IDF.
At the press conference in Egypt, Blinken said that the United States "did not know and was not involved in these incidents." Another U.S. source said that the Americans also sent a similar message to Iran, asking Tehran not to lead an escalation. Iran's ambassador to Lebanon was injured in the explosion of one of the pagers. According to the Lebanese MTV network, he was transferred from Beirut to Tehran to complete treatment in Iran. On the same plane were about 90 other wounded people who were flown to Iran to receive treatment, along with their families.
The White House also said its officials were not involved in the explosions. "We believe that there is a diplomatic way to solve the Lebanon issue. It is too early to know how the radio explosions will affect the cease-fire deal," according to the White House, which stressed that "it is still too early to know what effect the events will have on the high level of tension between Israel and Hezbollah at the border."
Walkie-talkie explosion during a funeral in southern Lebanon
Sources privy to the details said that if Israel is indeed behind the series of explosions, it is beginning to realize the goal of returning the residents of the north to their homes. A source said that "It is clear that this is not how a military campaign with Lebanon will look and it will require an exchange of rockets and missiles from both sides, but Israel - if it is the one that acted - has already had an effect" though it may not avert war.