Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

The death toll in explosions targeting pagers and handheld radios across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday has risen to 37, whereas the injuries came at 2,931, Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said on Thursday.

Tuesday's pager explosions killed 12 people, with 2,323 others injured, Abiad told a news conference. Meanwhile, the death toll in explosions of wireless communication devices across the country on Wednesday afternoon rose to 25, with injuries up to 608, Abiad said.

Lebanon's Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a circular on Thursday banning "all airlines operating at (Beirut) Rafic Hariri (International) Airport from transporting any pager or walkie-talkie device."

The Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations stated in a letter to the UN Security Council that preliminary investigations by the Lebanese government found that the communication devices involved in the explosions had been implanted with explosives before arriving in the country. It was reported that someone triggered the detonations by sending electronic messages to these devices.

The letter said that the attacks undermined diplomatic efforts aimed at calming the conflicts in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. Ahead of an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the explosions in Lebanon, the Lebanese side called on the Security Council to condemn the attacks.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib is expected to attend the meeting.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have been escalating since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Hamas. Israel retaliated with artillery fire into southeastern Lebanon. The conflict resulted in hundreds of deaths in Lebanon, and Hezbollah claimed its attacks inflicted casualties in Israel.

The recent explosions added a new layer to the ongoing 11-month clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, marked by deadly Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel.

Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel has entered a "new phase" in its conflict with Hezbollah.

No Israeli officials, including Gallant, have claimed responsibility for the explosions, which Hezbollah attributed to Israel.

Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

Death toll from device explosions in Lebanon rises to 37, injuries near 3,000

China saw nearly 13.1 million inbound and outbound trips being made during the country's seven-day National Day holiday rush which ended Monday, according to National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Data from the NIA showed that border inspection agencies across China facilitated a total of 13.098 million inbound and outbound trips, averaging 1.871 million per day, a 25.8 percent increase compared to the same period of last year.

Among the total trips, residents from the  mainland made 7.589 million inbound and outbound trips, up 33.2 percent from from the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, around 4.5 million entry and exit trips were made by residents from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,  the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan region,  a 13.2 percent year-on-year increase.

A total of 1.014 million trips were made by foreigners, a 37.2 percent rise from the same period of last year.

The NIA noted that border ports nationwide had taken active measures to forecast and control entry-exit traffic, operate sufficient checkpoints for travelers and effectively mitigate the impact of extreme weather on the customs clearance processes.

China handles nearly 13.1 mln entry, exit trips during National Day holiday