UN Mission: Explosives Put in Devices Before Arriving in Lebanon

Lebanese authorities have determined that the hand-held devices that exploded this week were booby-trapped before they entered the country. 

The investigation revealed that the devices were professionally booby-trapped before arriving in Lebanon and were detonated by sending emails to them. 

The letter, which blamed Israel for the attacks, stated that the blasts targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, killing 37 people and injuring nearly 3,000 over two days.

The explosions occurred in supermarkets, on streets, and at funerals, causing panic in the country. Israel has not commented on the operation but has announced plans to widen the scope of its war in Gaza to include the Lebanon front.

 Lebanon’s mission described the attack as "unprecedented in its brutality" and stated that it compromised diplomatic efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and south Lebanon. 

The mission called on the UN Security Council to condemn the attack ahead of an emergency session planned for Friday to discuss the blasts. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib is expected to attend the meeting.

Iran-backed Hezbollah is an ally of the Palestinian resistance Hamas, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel.

Israel has been focusing its firepower on Gaza for nearly a year and has also been engaged in near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants along its northern border. These conflicts have led to numerous casualties and displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.