MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Moscow strongly condemns the unprecedented attack on Lebanon and its citizens, condoles with the families of the victims and wishes fast recovery to the injured, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in connection with a massive cyberattack in Lebanon, which resulted in a series of pager explosions.
"We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a gross violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law with the use of unconventional weapons. We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish prompt recovery to the injured," Zakharova said. She pointed out that Russia considered the spate of pager explosions "as another act of hybrid warfare against Lebanon, which has affected thousands of innocent people."
"In all likelihood the organizers of this high-tech attack purposefully sought to foment a large-scale armed confrontation with the aim to provoke a major war in the Middle East," Zakharova said.
She pointed out that against the background of soaring tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border "such irresponsible actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they provoke a new round of escalation."
"It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this crime and bring all those responsible to justice to ensure that this act of terrorism should not be swept under the carpet, which the Western countries have been trying to do in relation to the investigation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions. We urge all parties involved for restraint and for refraining from steps that may further destabilize the military and political situation in the Middle East," Zakharova concluded.
Attack on Lebanon
On September 17, many pagers exploded almost simultaneously in different parts of Lebanon. According to the country's Health Ministry, there have been fatalities and a large number of injured as a result of the emergency. The Shiite movement Hezbollah blamed the explosions on Israel and promised a "just response." According to one version, the incident was a result of a cyberattack. The pagers were reportedly brought to Lebanon for Hezbollah supporters in the spring of this year with explosive devices already embedded in them.
CNN earlier also indicated that the explosions in Lebanon were a result of a "joint operation by Israeli intelligence and the Israeli military." The Israeli authorities did not comment on the incident.