Funeral Held For 9-Year-Old Girl Killed In Lebanon Pager Explosions

Dozens of mourners gathered Wednesday in the Lebanese village of Nabi Sheet to pay respect to Fatima Abdullah, the youngest of two children killed Tuesday when pagers across the country exploded in what appeared to be a coordinated Israeli attack.

The 9-year-old girl had recently started fourth grade, Fatima’s aunt Zeinab Mousawi told New York Times reporters. Many of her grieving classmates attended the funeral.

Fatima’s mother, dressed in black, wore a yellow Hezbollah scarf as she wept alongside the miniature coffin.

As Lebanon took stock and tended to the wounded, a second wave of device explosions struck the country Wednesday, apparently targeting walkie-talkies and solar equipment.

Associated Press journalists reported several explosions at Fatima’s funeral.

In addition to Fatima, 11-year-old Bilal Kanj also was killed by an exploding pager Tuesday, according to Hezbollah, the paramilitary group that appeared to be the assault’s intended target.

At least 10 others were killed in the attack and thousands more wounded, some severely.

Lebanon Health Minister Firas Abiad told journalists that many of those injured suffered severe eye injuries, and lost hands and limbs.