Doctors overwhelmed by blast injuries as civilian impact of device explosions sparks outcry
Hospitals in Lebanon are packed with people whose hands and eyes have been dealt serious injuries.
Hospitals in Lebanon are packed with people whose hands and eyes have been dealt serious injuries. The streets, meanwhile, are fraught with panic about which communication device might explode next.
People in the capital, Beirut, and beyond are shaken by two days of stunning attacks, in which devices owned by the militant group and political party Hezbollah have suddenly and near-simultaneously exploded in homes, grocery stores and street corners. American and Lebanese officials say Israel was behind the blasts, which killed at least 37 people, including at least two children, and injured nearly 3,000 more.
The streets of Beirut appeared largely back to normal Thursday, but people NBC News spoke with expressed fear and concern. Some said they were not going to work, while some parents said they were keeping their schoolchildren at home, fearful that more devices might detonate, as the nation awaited signals of how Hezbollah might retaliate.
Relatives mourn 9-year-old Fatima Abdallah, who was killed after hundreds of pagers exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon.AFP via Getty ImagesIn a speech Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah referred to the “terrorist” attack as unprecedented, noting that the explosions of roughly 4,000 devices wounded civilians, not just Hezbollah members.
He went on to call it an act of war against Lebanon, but did not specify how or when Hezbollah would retaliate.
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