TEHGAN: Iran’s ambassador to Beirut was wounded in a pager explosion Tuesday but his injuries were not serious, state media reported.
“Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured in a pager explosion,” state television said, adding that his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger.”
Pagers belonging to members of Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously Tuesday, wounding hundreds of its members across the country.
A source close to the group, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, blamed the blasts on an “Israeli breach” of its communications.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking war in Gaza.
Iran ambassador to Lebanon wounded in pager explosion: state media
https://arab.news/rzagz
Iran ambassador to Lebanon wounded in pager explosion: state media
- State television said his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger“
Israel launches ‘large scale operation’ to locate last hostage in Gaza
- The return of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as removing the remaining obstacle to moving ahead with opening the Rafah crossing, which would signal the ceasefire’s second phase
NAHARIYA, Israel: Israel said Sunday its military was conducting a “large-scale operation” to locate the last hostage in Gaza, as Washington and other mediators pressure Israel and Hamas to move into the next phase of their ceasefire.
The statement came as Israel’s Cabinet met to discuss the possibility of opening Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and a day after top US envoys met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about next steps.
The return of the remaining hostage, Ran Gvili, has been widely seen as removing the remaining obstacle to moving ahead with opening the Rafah crossing, which would signal the ceasefire’s second phase.
The return of all remaining hostages, alive or dead, has been a central part of the first phase of the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10. Before Sunday, the previous hostage was recovered in early December.
While Israel has carried out search efforts before for Gvili, more detail than usual was released about this one. Israel’s military said it was searching a cemetery in northern Gaza near the Yellow Line, which marks off Israeli-controlled parts of the territory.
Separately, an Israeli military official said Gvili may have been buried in the Shujaiyya–Daraj Tuffah area, and that rabbis and dental experts were on the ground with specialized search teams. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing an operation still under way.
Gvili’s family has urged Netanyahu’s government not to enter the ceasefire’s second phase until his remains are returned.
But pressure has been building, and the Trump administration has already declared in recent days that the second phase is under way.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of dragging its feet in the recovery of the final hostage. Hamas in a statement Sunday said it had provided all the information it had about Gvili’s remains, and accused Israel of obstructing efforts to search for them in areas of Gaza under Israeli military control.
