'Brink of regional war': Jordan FM warns of escalations following pager devices explosion

The Kremlin warned on Wednesday that an attack on Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and others using exploding pagers could become a trigger for a wider regional conflict and that its perpetrators must be identified.

Tuesday's attack saw thousands of pagers detonate across Lebanon, killing nine people and wounding nearly 3,000 others, including the group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and accused Israel of pushing the Middle East to the "brink of regional war." In remarks after an Islamic and Arab ministerial contact group meeting in Amman to lobby for a Gaza ceasefire, Ayman Safadi said peace would not prevail without a two-state solution. 

A senior Lebanese security source and another source told Reuters that Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations.

"The causes and circumstances of the incident must be established, and those behind it must be identified," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

In addition to the Russian condemnation of the alleged Israeli attack, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and expressed his sadness over the attack. He further emphasized that efforts to stop Israel will continue.

Egyptian support

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo rejects any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency said on Wednesday.

"The President affirmed Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly and reaffirming Egypt's support for Lebanon," the statement added.

Blinken is visiting Egypt, hoping to advance efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo.

Hezbollah suffered a significant attack when over 3,600 people were injured by exploding pagers on Tuesday, primarily targeting the terrorist organization's members. The Iranian ambassador was severely wounded, losing one of his eyes, according to multiple reports.

According to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad, a total of 12 people died, including two children, as a result of the exploding pagers.

Arab media attributed the attack to Israel, claiming a Mossad spy had tampered with the devices before they were distributed to members of the terrorist organization. However, Israel has not yet commented on whether it was to blame.

The incident raised tensions, which were already high following multiple incidents between Israel and terrorist organizations in the region.

The Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.