The United States had no advance knowledge of, nor involvement in, the deadly Sept. 17 attack that caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode in Lebanon, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who urged calm and cautioned against escalation.
Blinken made the remarks on Sept. 18 while on a state visit to Egypt for talks on U.S.–Egyptian relations to help broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of all remaining hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during their deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
Speaking at a news conference in Cairo alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Blinken addressed the Sept. 17 attack in Lebanon, which involved a wave of explosions of personal pagers used by Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
“With regard to Lebanon, the United States did not know about, nor was it involved in, these incidents. We’re still gathering the information, gathering the facts,” Blinken said during the news conference.
Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack, calling it an act of “criminal aggression” that also targeted civilians and vowing “punishment.”
Israel has not publicly addressed the matter or claimed responsibility.
Blinken said on Sept. 18 that the exploding devices in Lebanon threaten to derail a potential agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the war in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages.
“Time and again,” when the United States and other mediators believe that they are making progress on a cease-fire deal in Gaza, an event has occurred that “threatens to slow it, stop it, derail it,” he said.
Egypt’s foreign minister echoed that sentiment, saying the incident not only hinders current talks, but “also risks getting into a full-scale war.”
Also casting a shadow over the cease-fire talks is the discovery of the bodies of six hostages who Israel said had been recently killed by Hamas, according to Blinken.
The U.S. official said negotiators were making progress in talks that would have freed the remaining captives in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
“We’ve been very clear, and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza,“ Blinken said, adding that to see the conflict spread to other fronts is ”clearly not in the interest of anyone involved.”
Meanwhile, more devices used by Hezbollah reportedly detonated on Sept. 18 in parts of Lebanon, with the country’s Health Ministry reporting that at least nine people were killed and about 300 injured in the second wave of explosions.The pager explosions come as Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, which have escalated since the start of the Gaza war, have prompted Israeli leaders to threaten military action in Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel could launch a large-scale military offensive to stop Hezbollah’s rocket fire across the southern Lebanese border. Such an offensive could draw in Iran-backed militias from across the region, further complicating the situation.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“It requires courage, determination, and perseverance,” Gallant told Israeli troops on Sept. 18.
Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, said on Sept. 18 that the group will respond to the exploding pager attacks with “special punishment,” adding that Hezbollah is now in a “new confrontation with the enemy.”
