Ocasio-Cortez condemns Israel over pager attacks in Lebanon

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday condemned Israel over a series of explosions across Lebanon involving pagers that targeted members of militant group Hezbollah.

Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal critic of Israel’s government amid its broader war in Gaza, weighed in following reports that Israel’s intelligence and military arms were behind Tuesday’s pager attack that killed a dozen people and injured several thousand.

“This attack clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict,” the New York Democrat wrote on social media platform X.

“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,” she added.

Earlier in the day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied that the U.S. was involved or knew about the pager attacks ahead of time.

Two children were among the 12 people killed in Tuesday’s blasts, The Associated Press reported.

Explosives were reportedly hidden in pagers that had been tampered with before being imported into Lebanon.

More explosions were reported across Lebanon on Wednesday, with these reportedly targeting handheld radios.

Hezbollah has blamed Israel for both attacks. Israel’s military has declined to comment about the blasts when reached by the AP and Reuters.

Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly criticized Israel’s government, and earlier this year accused it of committing genocide in Gaza.