Israel appears to be in denial to be involved in the pager explosions that injured thousands and killed dozens in the Middle East, reported PA Media and DPA, quoted by BTA.
The Israeli president said on Sunday that he “rejects without second thought any connection” between the operation against “Hezbollah“ on Tuesday, and that his country has an “inherent right” to defend.
„Hezbollah“ vowed revenge against Israel after a wave of explosions on pagers and radios on Tuesday and Wednesday killed at least 37 people, including two children, and injured about 3,000.
„First of all, I deny without hesitation any connection with this or with the source of this operation,”, Herzog said on the British television channel “Sky News”.
When asked if Israel denies responsibility for the explosions and if they were caused by someone else, the Israeli president said: “I am not implying anything, except that there are many enemies of “Hezbollah”, too many lately”.
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„Hezbollah“ suffocate (and) destroy Lebanon by causing terror in Lebanon again and again. We're just here to protect ourselves – that is all we are doing and we are making it clear that we must act as any normal country would, as Britain or any other sovereign country would do to protect its people,” the Israeli president said.
A 17-year-old Israeli died in a car accident during a missile alert yesterday. He was identified as Noam Yehiel, son of the popular singer Erez Yehiel, the Israeli news agency TPS reported, quoted by BTA.
Noam was returning to his high school in Hadera after going to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's grave in Meron. The site where the Roman-era mystic is buried is a popular site for selichot, special penitential prayers offered in the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
The car crashes near the Zarzir junction in the Israeli Valley as the sirens go off amid rocket fire from the Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah". The employees of the Israeli emergency medical service "Magen David Adom" they pronounce Noam dead on the spot.
Noam's father, Erez Yehiel, is a Hasidic singer known for his songs based on verses from the Psalter.
A 20-year-old passenger was evacuated to the "Rambam" hospital. in Haifa with moderate to serious injuries, and two other passengers were treated at the scene with minor injuries.
Yossi Fried, a volunteer from the emergency response organization ZAKA, said: "When we arrived at the scene, we saw a private car that had violently collided with the fence on the side of the road. The medical staff ("Magen David Adom") had to confirm the death of a 17-year-old boy. ZAKA volunteers from the Northern District took care to honor the memory of the deceased and collect the finds for burial.
Police believe sirens triggered by Hezbollah rocket fire distracted the driver and he lost control of his vehicle.
"We are on the scene of a very serious incident. "We are investigating suspicions that the accident occurred during a siren that went off at 5:15 a.m.," said police officer Yaron Ben Ishai.
According to the instructions of the Israeli Interior Command, drivers who hear sirens should pull over to the side of the road and lie down on the ground outside the vehicle.
In recent days, the tension between Israel and "Hezbollah" grew.
On Monday, Israel's military-political security cabinet updated its official military goals to include the safe return of 60,000 evacuees from the Northern Territories to their homes.
Pagers belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, injuring thousands. On Wednesday, in a second wave of explosions, more members of "Hezbollah" were injured. The Iran-backed militant group said 32 of its members were killed, a number that has not been confirmed by independent experts. Israeli officials believe the death toll is higher than that stated by "Hezbollah".
It is widely believed that the blasts were the work of Israel, but Jerusalem has not commented on this.
On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed along the northern border in rocket attacks and drone strikes by the Lebanese group.
An Israeli airstrike killed 16 high-ranking terrorists in Beirut yesterday, eliminating most of the chain of command of the elite Radwan force.
Residents of northern Israel were forced to evacuate their homes when in October "Hezbollah" started launching missiles and drones. The terrorist group has fired more than 6,700 rockets and drones, killing 26 civilians and 22 soldiers on the Israeli side. The leaders of "Hezbollah" said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes, which the leader of "Hezbollah" Hassan Nasrallah repeated in his speech on Thursday.
Israeli officials call on "Hezbollah" to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war.
Israel's other three official military objectives are to eliminate the military and governance potential of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, return all hostages, and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
At least 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in the attacks by "Hamas" against Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. More than 30 of the remaining 97 hostages have been declared dead. Since 2014 and 2015, "Hamas" also holds captive two Israeli civilians, as well as the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.