Thousands of exploding devices in Lebanon trigger a nation that has been on edge for years

BEIRUT (AP) — Chris Knayzeh was in a town overlooking Lebanon's capital when he heard the rumbling aftershock of the 2020 Beirut port blast. Hundreds of tons of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrates had exploded, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands.

Already struggling with the country’s economic collapse, the sight of the gigantic mushroom cloud unleashed by the blast was the last straw. Like many other Lebanese, he quit his job and booked a one-way ticket out of Lebanon.

Knayzeh, now a lecturer at a university in France, was visiting Lebanon when news broke Tuesday of a deadly attack in which thousands of handheld pagers were blowing up in homes, shops, markets and streets across the country. Israel, local news reports said, was targeting the devices of the militant Hezbollah group. Stuck in Beirut traffic, Knayzeh started panicking that drivers around him could potentially be carrying devices that would explode.

Within minutes, hospitals were flooded with bloodied patients, bringing back painful reminders of the port blast four years ago that left enduring mental and psychological scars for those who lived through it.

A day later, a similar attack struck walkie-talkies. In total, the explosions killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000, many of them civilians. Israel is widely believed to be behind the blasts, although it has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

“The country's state is unreal,” Knayzeh told The Associated Press.

The port blast was one of the biggest nonnuclear explosions ever recorded, and it came on top of a historic economic meltdown, financial collapse and a feeling of helplessness after nationwide protests against corruption that failed to achieve their goals. It compounded years of crises that have upended the lives of people in this small country.

Four years after the port catastrophe, an investigation has run aground. The ravaged Mediterranean port remains untouched, its towering silos standing broken and shredded as a symbol of a country in ruins. Political divisions and paralysis have left the country without a president or functioning government for more than two years. Poverty is on the rise.

On top of that and in parallel with the war in Gaza, Lebanon has been on the brink of all-out war with Israel for the past year, with Israel and Hezbollah trading fire across the border and Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier over Beirut almost daily, terrifying people in their homes and offices.

“I can’t believe this is happening again. How many more disasters can we endure?” asked Jocelyn Hallak, a mother of three, two of whom now work abroad and the third headed out after graduation next year. “All this pain, when will it end?”

A full-blown war with Israel could be devastating for Lebanon. The country’s crisis-battered health care system had been preparing for the possibility of conflict with Israel even before hospitals became inundated with the wounded from the latest explosions. Most of the injuries received were in the face, eyes and limbs — many of them in critical condition and requiring extended hospital stays.

Still, Knayzeh, 27, can't stay away. He returns regularly to see his girlfriend and family. He flinches whenever he hears construction work and other sudden loud sounds. When in France, surrounded by normalcy, he agonizes over family at home while following the ongoing clashes from afar.

“It’s the attachment to our country I guess, or at the very least attachment to our loved ones who couldn’t leave with us,” he said.

This summer, tens of thousands of Lebanese expatriates came to visit family and friends despite the tensions. Their remittances and money they spend while there help keep the country afloat and in some cases are the main source of income for families. Many, however, cut their vacations short in chaotic airport scenes, fearing major escalation after the assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders in Beirut and Tehran last month, blamed on Israel.

Even in a country that has vaulted from one crisis to another for decades, the level of confusion, insecurity and anger is reaching new heights. Many thought the port blast was the most surreal and frightening thing they would ever experience — until thousands of pagers exploded in people’s hands and pockets across the country this week.

’’I saw horrific things that day,” said Mohammad al-Mousawi, who was running an errand in Beirut’s southern suburb, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, when the pagers began blowing up.

“Suddenly, we started seeing scooters whizzing by carrying defaced men, some without fingers, some with their guts spilling out. Then the ambulances started coming."

It reminded him of the 2020 port blast, he said. "The number of injuries and ambulances was unbelievable. “

“One more horror shaping our collective existence,” wrote Maha Yahya, the Beirut-based director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

“The shock, the disarray, the trauma is reminiscent of Beirut after the port explosion. Only this time it was not limited to a city but spread across the country,” she said in a social media post.

In the aftermath of the exploding pagers, fear and paranoia has taken hold. Parents kept their children away from schools and universities, fearing more exploding devices. Organizations including the Lebanese civil defense advised personnel to switch off their devices and remove all batteries until further notice. One woman said she disconnected her baby monitor and other household appliances.

Lebanon’s civil aviation authorities have banned the transporting of pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport “until further notice.” Some residents were sleeping with their phones in another room.

In the southern city of Tyre, ahead of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, city resident Hassan Hajo acknowledged feeling “a bit depressed” after the pager blasts, a major security breach for a secretive organization like Hezbollah. He was hoping to get a boost from Nasrallah’s speech. “We have been through worse before and we got through it,” he said.

In his speech, Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attacks on devices, while Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire across the border. Israel stepped up warnings of a potential larger military operation targeting the group.

Another resident, Marwan Mahfouz, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been threatening Lebanon with war for the past year and he should just do it.

“If we are going to die, we’ll die. We are already dying. We are already dead,” he said.

Karam reported from London. Associated Press writer Hassan Ammar contributed to this report.

A man who was injured in the explosion of one of the handheld devices, sits outside the Eye Specialist hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

FILE - People remove debris from a house damaged by a massive explosion in the seaport of Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

FILE - A survivor is taken out of the rubble after a massive explosion in Beirut, on Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

FILE - A police officer speaks with a protesting depositor as they stand in front of burning tires set on fire in front of a branch of Emirates Lebanese Bank in Dawra, a suburb north-east of Beirut, on Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - A protester holds up a Lebanese national flag as he walks in front of burning tires that are blocking a main road, during a protest in downtown Beirut, on March 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Hezbollah members carry the coffins of two of their comrades who were killed on Wednesday when a handheld device exploded, during a funeral procession in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

FILE - An anti-government protester flashes the victory sign amid tear gas fired by riot police during a protest marking the first anniversary of the massive blast at Beirut's port, near Parliament Square, in Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - An Israeli reconnaissance drone flies over the funeral procession of four Hezbollah fighters who were killed Tuesday after their handheld devices exploded in the southern suburb of Beirut, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

A man mourns during the funeral procession of two Hezbollah members, killed on Wednesday when a handheld device exploded, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

FILE - A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, on Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - A Civil Defense first-responder carries a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, on Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

FILE - Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

FILE - Smoke rises after a massive explosion at the port in Beirut, on Aug. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The largest retail trade group in the United States said Tuesday that it expects consumers to spend more during the upcoming holiday shopping season but the growth in sales to be slower than last year due to concerns over persistent inflation and prices.

The National Retail Federation said its 2024 forecast indicates that shoppers will make $979.5 billion to $989 billion worth of purchases in November and December, which would represent a 2.5%-3.5% increase over the same two-month period a year ago.

However, the $955.6 billion spent during the 2023 holiday shopping season was 3.9% more than in 2022.

This year's predicted pace is consistent with the average increase of 3.6% from 2010 to 2019. During the coronavirus pandemic, Americans ramped up their spending. Holiday season sales rose 9% in 2020 from the year before, and they soared 12.4% in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation.

The trade group makes its calculations based on government figures. The numbers exclude sales at automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.

The forecast considers economic indicators such as employment, wages, consumer confidence, disposable income, consumer credit, previous retail sales and weather.

“Interest rates are still a little higher than they were in recent memory,” National Retail Federation CEO and President Matt Shay said during a call with reporters. "Consumers do have those interest rates and the lingering inflation on their minds. So we expect that consumers will continue to be more price-conscious and pragmatic in their spending decisions.”

The retail federation issued its look-ahead as the data shows U.S. consumers continuing to spend, powered by sturdy hiring, low unemployment and healthy household finances. Moreover, gas prices are coming down, leaving a little extra money for shoppers to spend on gifts. The national average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.2 on Tuesday; a year ago, it was $3.60, according to auto club AAA.

But there are plenty of challenges this season, including a presidential election that could create a big distraction from shopping in November. NRF officials said it was nearly impossible to measure the election's impact on current or future spending.

With Thanksgiving falling on Nov. 28, there also will be six fewer days between the holiday and Christmas Day compared to last year. Other factors that could hurt holiday sales: the economic impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton, NRF officials said.

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, plans to advertise savings on Thanksgiving meal products starting Oct. 14, about two weeks earlier than last year.

NRF’s forecast was in line with the predictions of other analysts, which also point to a more restrained mood among shoppers.

Management consulting firm Bain & Co. said it anticipated November and December retail sales to rise by 3% as opposed to the 4.2% growth seen last year. AlixPartners, another consulting firm, expects sales for October through December to be up anywhere from 2% to 5%, lower than last year’s 6% increase. Consulting and research firm Customer Growth Partners predicted sales to grow 4% during the holiday period, just slightly below its figure from last year.

Meanwhile, Adobe Analytics predicts online sales will surge 8.9%, marking the highest spending pace since 2021 when it was 8.6%. A year ago, online sales were up 4.9%, compared with the previous year. Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, noted that shoppers’ bigger interest in discounts will drive spending. Discounts should average about 30%, the same as a year ago, he said.

While the inflation rate is coming down, it’s still a big pocketbook issue for shoppers as many food items still cost considerably more than they did a few years ago.

James Zahn, editor-in-chief of industry trade publication The Toy Book, thinks shoppers are even more price-conscious than they were last year when it comes to buying toys. Toys under $20 are resonating with parents, he said.

Kohl’s executives said last week that shoppers, particularly those in lower income brackets, will feel more squeezed than a year ago.

Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer, said the cumulative impact of high prices on food and other essentials is eating into people's savings. As part of its holiday strategy, Kohl’s plans to be aggressive with offering discounts. As for the presidential race, Kohl’s executives said they were not sure if consumers will hold back their buying ahead of the Nov. 5 election but it’s something they are monitoring.

“We’re just trying to follow the consumer, and we know that they’re going to feel squeezed once that Thanksgiving time frame hit,” Raymond told reporters.

FILE - A shopper considers large-screen televisions on display in a Costco warehouse Oct. 3, 2024, in Timnath, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - A shopper passes by a Christmas tree on display in a Costco warehouse on Sept. 12, 2024, in Thornton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - The Monopoly Go Board Game, from Hasbro, is displayed at the TTPM 2024 Holiday Showcase event, in New York, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - Reggie Rose Geschke, 2, plays with the Miraculous Paris Heroes Playset, from Playmates Toys, at the TTPM 2024 Holiday Showcase event, in New York, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)