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Biden Administration Distances Itself From Pager Attack Against Hezbollah
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaking at the daily White House press briefing, March, 27, 2023. Photo: Screenshot
The Biden administration has kept distance from the explosion of pagers carried by Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, which left thousands wounded and killed at least 12 people on Tuesday, stating that US officials were not given advance notice of what is widely believed to be an Israeli operation.
US Secretary of State Antony Bliken told reporters on Wednesday that his department is still “gathering information” and assessing the potential fallout from the attack.
“We’re still gathering information; we’re still gathering the facts. I can’t tell you in this moment what impact this will have,” Blinken said. “I certainly can’t speak to what impact it might have on Hezbollah and its operations. That would demand other expertise. And again, it’s also necessary to fully understand what’s happened, and we’re still in the process of doing that.”
Thousands of Hezbollah members were seriously wounded when the pagers they use to communicate exploded on Tuesday. At least 12 people were killed, and more than 2,800 were wounded in the initial round of blasts.
Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was among those injured by the pager explosions and reportedly lost an eye.
Then on Wednesday, hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated across the Iran-backed terrorist organization’s main stronghold in Beirut and in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said at least nine people were killed and 300 were wounded in the latest series of device explosions.
Experts and several media outlets have said that Israeli intelligence was behind the explosions with a sophisticated, long planned operation, although Israel has neither publicly confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Blinken’s comments echoed those of US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, who said on Tuesday that the department is “collecting information in the same way that journalists are across the world to gather the facts about what might have happened.”
“I can tell you that the US was not involved in it; the US was not aware of this incident in advance,” Miller said to reporters.
Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel almost daily following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists on the Jewish state’s southern region. Since then, both sides have been exchanging fire constantly while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.
About 80,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate their homes in northern Israel and flee to other parts of the country amid the unrelenting attacks from Hezbollah.
Israeli leaders have said they seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon but are prepared to use large-scale military force if needed to ensure all citizens can safely return to their homes.
On Monday night, Israel’s security cabinet expanded its war goals to include returning the displaced Israelis from the north.
“It is our judgment that a diplomatic solution is the best way to get them back to their homes,” Miller added in reference to the displaced Israelis. “Because if you look at what a military conflict would entail, it’s hard to see how that gets those families on either side of their border back to their homes quickly.”
Miller said that Israel has a right to “defend itself against terrorists” and cautioned Jerusalem to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also clarified that US agencies did not participate in the attack and urged Israel to use diplomacy when dealing with Hezbollah in lieu of military action.
“If you’re asking me if the US was involved, no, the US was not involved,” Jean-Pierre said. “If you’re asking me if we were aware of the operation, we were not aware of this incident that hundreds of pagers, as you just mentioned, were going to explode in Lebanon ahead of time.”
“We’ve been very clear about the tensions in the Middle East and wanting to make sure that we do everything that we can to lessen the tension there,” she added.
The pager operation in Lebanon was met with a mixed response from US legislators.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) slammed the attack as a violation of “international humanitarian law” and called on Congress to launch an investigation into whether Israeli intelligence used American technology in the operation.
“Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon detonated thousands of handheld devices across of a slew of public spaces, seriously injuring and killing innocent civilians.This attack clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict,” Ocasio-Cortez said on X/Twitter. “Congress needs a full accounting of the attack, including an answer from the State Department as to whether any US assistance went into the development or deployment of this technology.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a vocal critic of Israel, called the pager attack “disgusting” on social media.
Others were less critical, noting the target was a US-designated terrorist organization.
“I guess it speaks volumes to why people shouldn’t be using pagers anymore,” joked Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY).
The post Biden Administration Distances Itself From Pager Attack Against Hezbollah first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.