Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amini, lost one eye and severely injured his other eye when a pager he was carrying exploded in a simultaneous wave of blasts targeting wireless electronic devices, according to two members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps briefed on the attack.
The Guards members, who had knowledge of the attacks and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Mr. Amini’s injuries were more serious than Iran initially reported and that he would be medevacked to Tehran for treatment.
Hossein Soleimani, the editor in chief of Mashregh, the main Revolutionary Guards news website, confirmed the extent of Mr. Amini’s injuries in a post on social media. “Unfortunately the injuries sustained by Iran’s ambassador were extremely severe and in his eyes,” Mr. Soleimani wrote.
A video of Mr. Amini being transported to the hospital, published by Iranian news media outlets, shows him on a chaotic Beirut street with his eyes covered by bandages and the front of his white shirt covered in blood.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the attack in a call with Lebanon’s foreign minister and said Iran was ready to medevac the ambassador and other injured people to Iran for medical treatment if needed, according to a statement released by his office. He spoke to Mr. Amini’s wife in Beirut and wished the ambassador a speedy recovery, the statement said.
Narges Ghadirian, the ambassador’s wife, said in a post on social media earlier on Tuesday that her husband “is slightly injured but thank God he is all right and the danger has passed.”
Iranian media reported that two of the ambassador’s bodyguards were also injured because they were carrying pagers that exploded. Tasnim News agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said similar devices also exploded in Syria.
One of the Guards members said the pagers, including the one used by the ambassador, beeped for about 10 seconds before exploding, prompting some victims to hold the devices close to their eyes and faces to check for a message. The two Guards members said the pagers were used only by Hezbollah members and operatives and not widely distributed among ordinary citizens.
