Kremlin Cautions Against Wider Conflict After Exploding Pagers Attack

The Kremlin has warned that a recent attack on Hezbollah using exploding pagers could escalate into a wider regional conflict. Thousands of pagers exploded in Lebanon, killing nine and injuring nearly 3,000, with Israel's Mossad allegedly behind the incident. The Kremlin calls for a thorough investigation.

The Kremlin issued a strong warning on Wednesday, suggesting that an attack on the Lebanese group Hezbollah using exploding pagers could trigger a broader regional conflict. Authorities are calling for a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators.

The incident on Tuesday resulted in the detonation of thousands of pagers across Lebanon, leading to nine fatalities and nearly 3,000 injuries. Among the injured were Hezbollah fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut. Lebanese security sources and Reuters confirmed that Israel's Mossad had planted explosives in 5,000 pagers months before the attack.

"What happened certainly escalates tension. The Middle East is in an explosive state, and such incidents can spiral out of control," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. Russia's Foreign Ministry described the attack as hybrid warfare and stressed the importance of identifying those behind the explosions to prevent similar occurrences in Russia or elsewhere.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, commented that the orchestrators seemed intent on sparking a large-scale armed conflict to provoke a major war in the Middle East.

(With inputs from agencies.)