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Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi calls Lebanon explosions ‘sickening’, stops short of naming Israel

An Australian senator has slammed the deadly explosions which rocked Lebanon as “sickening” but stopped just short of blaming Israel.

Hundreds of pagers explode in Lebanon, injuring Hezbollah members

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has stopped short of blaming Israel for a series of explosions that killed at least nine and injured thousands more across Lebanon

In a social media post on Wednesday morning, Senator Faruqi, an outspoken critic of the Israeli government, did not name Israel directly but said the attacks were “exactly the type of sickening warfare” that sparked last week’s violent pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Melbourne.

“The horrific pagers attack that has killed nine people, including a young child, and left thousands wounded across Lebanon is exactly the type of sickening warfare people in Naarm Melbourne were protesting against,” she said.

“The perpetrators must be held to account.”

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said the attack was ‘sickening warfare’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi said the attack was ‘sickening warfare’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Tuesday (local time) accused the Israeli government of detonating pagers in Lebanon’s south.

The group, which has been engaged in cross-border fighting with Israel since its incursion into Gaza last year, said the explosions killed at least two of its fighters.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was also among the 2750 injured on Tuesday, according to officials.

Hezbollah vowed retaliation against Israel, which has not commented on the explosions.

In response, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have reissued calls for Australians not to travel to Lebanon – a directive which has been in place since October 19, 2023.

“There were thousands of pager explosions in Lebanon on 17 September, which have resulted in deaths and serious injuries. Hospitals are reportedly treating high numbers of casualties, and some may be overwhelmed,” Smarttraveller shared on social media on Wednesday.

“We continue to advise that Australians do not travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further. Australians in Lebanon should leave immediately while commercial flights remain available.”

At least nine people were killed and 2750 injured in a series of explosions across southern Lebanon. Picture: Anwar Amro / AFP
At least nine people were killed and 2750 injured in a series of explosions across southern Lebanon. Picture: Anwar Amro / AFP

Protesters clashed with police and harassed journalists in Melbourne last week as part of pro-Palestinian demonstrations outside a Defence expo.

The protests were largely supported by the Greens, who have consistently called for sanctions against Israel for its military action in Gaza.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.9 million displaced in the Palestinian territory since Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas’ brutal October 7 terrorist attacks, according to UN figures.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza, killed nearly 1200 in its attacks on Israel and took hundreds more hostage, including children.

Originally published as Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi calls Lebanon explosions ‘sickening’, stops short of naming Israel

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/greens-senator-mehreen-faruqi-blames-israel-for-sickening-lebanon-explosions-justifies-melbourne-protests/news-story/75d9b92a35b0639b01e8c4723689d61a