Russia condemns Lebanon pager blasts, warns of igniting tensions

MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday condemned a deadly attack that saw hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah simultaneously explode across Lebanon, saying the blasts risked igniting tensions in an already “explosive” region.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack, which analysts said was likely caused by explosives concealed in the devices during production or delivery. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

“What has happened, whatever it is, is certainly leading to an escalation of tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“The region itself is in an explosive situation… And every incident like this has the potential to be a trigger,” he added.

The Russian foreign ministry had also denounced the attack in an earlier statement.

“We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law through the use of unconventional weapons,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“Against the backdrop of growing tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border, such irresponsible actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they provoke a new round of escalation,” she said, calling for “all parties involved to exercise restraint”.

Russia has close relations with Hezbollah-backer Iran and has expressed concerns about a regional war in the Middle East, where it has security and economic interests.