Authorities in Moscow on Wednesday condemned deadly attacks that saw pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah explode near-simultaneously across Lebanon the day before, saying the blasts risked further destabilizing an already “explosive situation” in the region.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government 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.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the blasts 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,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
“Amid growing tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border, such irresponsible actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they provoke a new round of escalation,” Zakharova added, calling for “all parties involved to exercise restraint.”
Russia has close relations with Hezbollah-backer Iran and has expressed concerns about a regional war breaking out in the Middle East.
