A series of pager explosions resulted in the death of 9 people; Itamaraty says the episode leads to an “escalation” of tensions in the region
The president’s government Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) condemned the series of pager explosions that resulted in the death of 9 people and left another 2,750 injured on Tuesday (17.Sep.2024), in Lebanon.
In note disclosed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (read the full text below)the government stated that the explosions lead to “significant escalation of tensions” in the region and that the “multiple appeals from the international community” has not had any effect among Middle Eastern countries.
According to the statement, the Brazilian Embassy in Beirut has no record of Brazilians among the victims of the explosions.
EXPLOSIONS IN LEBANON
The incident began at around 3:45 p.m. (09:45 a.m. ET). The dead included two members of the Hezbollah group.
The pagers exploded in southern suburbs of Beirut and in areas in the south and west of the country. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) did not comment on the attack.
Pagers are electronic devices designed to receive or send short messages. They were popular in the 1980s and 1990s, when cell phones were not yet as common.
Hezbollah said it will do “just punishment” against Israel for hacking the group’s pagers and coordinating the explosion of the devices.
Here is the full statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday (17.Sep):
“The Brazilian government condemns the series of coordinated and simultaneous explosions of hundreds of electronic communication devices that occurred today, the 17th, in Lebanon, which resulted in the death of at least nine people, including a minor, as well as hundreds of injuries.
“Such acts lead to a significant escalation of tensions in the region and exacerbate the risk of the conflict spreading. They also demonstrate that, regrettably, the multiple calls by the international community for actors in the Middle East to exercise maximum restraint have been ineffective.
“In this context, Brazil reiterates the imperative nature of full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries and reaffirms its defense of strict compliance with Resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council.
“The Brazilian embassy in Beirut has no record of Brazilian nationals among the victims and is committed to providing the necessary guidance to the Brazilian community in the delicate security situation in Lebanon.”
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