US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified on Wednesday that the United States had no prior knowledge of the explosion involving Hezbollah pagers in Lebanon, which resulted in 12 reported deaths.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, saw the pagers of over 4,000 Hezbollah members detonate, causing significant casualties and raising questions about possible involvement.
Blinken addressed the matter during a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. He emphasized that the US was neither aware of nor involved in the incident.
“We are still gathering information and facts about what happened,” Blinken said, stressing that the United States did not have prior knowledge of the explosions.
This visit to Cairo is part of Blinken’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in the region, marking his 10th trip since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 of the previous year. Notably, he is not scheduled to visit Israel during this trip.
Blinken reiterated the importance of preventing further escalation in the ongoing conflict and emphasized the need for all parties to avoid actions that could exacerbate the situation.
Following the incident in Lebanon, the US State Department swiftly denied any involvement. Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We are gathering information on this incident and can confirm that the US was not involved or aware of it in advance.”
Miller refrained from speculating on the incident's broader impact but reaffirmed the US’s commitment to a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The goal remains to allow displaced individuals from both Israel and Lebanon to return to their homes.
Blinken's next destination is Paris, where he will meet with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine, and other shared priorities. He is also scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.
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