Editorial 19.09.24
Thursdayās front pages continue to be dominated by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Electronic pagers across Lebanon exploded simultaneously on Sept. 17, 2024, killing 12 and wounding more than 2,700. The following day, another wave of explosions in the country came from detonating walkie-talkies. The attacks appeared to target members of the militant group Hezbollah.
Israel has yet to comment on the attack but on Wednesday Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the conflict had entered āa new phase.ā
The ānew phaseā comment is picked up by several of the broadsheets, whilst a handful of the tabloids report the Middle East is āon the brinkā. Many of the papers look ahead at whether the latest developments will lead to a widening of the war – Lebanon is expected to retaliate.
Several of the papers report on the latest happenings in domestic politics with Sue Grayās salary one of the more popular.
āNew phase of war begins’
‘Locals terrified at what might explode next,’ says Metro.
Metro says āfirst pagers explode, then radios as Hezbollah blasted,ā reporting the second hit was a āfollow-upā attack on the armed group. The paper goes on to say locals are terrified of what might explode next.Ā
āHundreds of devices exploded during a funeral,ā says The Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph reports that hundreds of the devices began exploding during the funeral for Hezbollah fighters killed in the pagers attack. Israelās defence minister Yoav Gallant has said the country was shifting its military focus towards the Lebanese border for a ānew phaseā of the war – launched after the events of 7 October.
āRadios, home solar systems and security locks also burst into flames,ā says the Express.
The Daily Express features an image of a vehicle on fire in Beirut saying radios, home solar systems and security locks also burst into flames during yesterdayās attack. A journalist in Lebanon said “Beirut has collapsed into panic” as emergency services are overwhelmed with injured people.
āAttack may be a war crime,ā says The Guardian.
The Guardian has an image of relatives at the funeral of a 10-year-old girl killed in the first attack – involving exploding pagers. The paper says international observers are warning the explosions of thousands of electronic communication devices may be a war crime.
The paper quotes the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who has condemned the attacks, believed to be carried out by Israel, and urges both Hezbollah and Israel to restrain from escalating the conflict.
āIsrael vows revenge,ā says the Times.
The Times leads on the vow to revenge the electronic device attacks. The paper says the apparent Israeli attack has humiliated Hezbollah and the blow will be felt across the entire organisation.
āGermany suspends permits to export weapons,ā writes the Mirror.
The Daily Mirror calls it a āWalkie-talkie bomb blitz.ā The paper reports that Israel has āhailedā a ānew phaseā to the war and within minutes of the announcement being made, Germany announced that it would be suspending permits to export military weapons to Israel.ā
āAttack on terrorists kills 14ā says the Sun.
The Sun features an image of a damaged device on a Lebanese street. āDeath by walkie talkieā the tabloid says. The paper called the attack āastonishingā and notes hundreds were left maimed.
āLabour undermining Israel,ā quotes the Mail which leads with an interview with Netanyahu.
The Daily Mail leads on an exclusive interview with Israelās prime minister who has accused Labour of undermining Israel and attacked Labourās āmisguidedā policies. Netanyahu says it would be preposterous if the ICC issues a warrant for his arrest, the paper writes.Ā
āSue Gray pay scandal leak’Ā
āEmbarrassing leak shows No 10 dysfunction,ā says The Times.
The Times calls the leak another embarrassment as news that the PMās chief of staff, Sue Gray, earns Ā£3,000 more than the prime minister. The paper says the leak highlights how dysfunctional No 10 is.
āBreath-taking hypocrisy,ā says The Telegraph.Ā
The Telegraphās editorial writes Grayās pay rise comes as the government cuts the winter fuel payment for millions of pensioners saying it’s further evidence of the governmentās breath-taking hypocrisy.