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Hezbollah is hit by a wave of communications equipment explosions

2024-09-18 07:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Communication devices known as pagers used by hundreds of members of the Hezbollah militant group exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 9 individuals, including an 8-year-old girl, and injuring thousands, officials said. .

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated and remote attack. Iran's ambassador to Lebanon was also among the injured. A 'pager' is a small communication device, unlike a mobile phone, used for sending messages and signals.

The mysterious blasts come amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah, which has a significant base in Lebanon, has exchanged fire with Israel since the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel that sparked the Gaza war.

The pagers that exploded were apparently bought by Hezbollah after the militant group's leader ordered members in February to stop using mobile phones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence agencies.

A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press news agency that the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been using them.

Around 3:30pm local time on Tuesday, pagers in users' hands or pockets began to heat up and then explode, creating scenes of blood and panic.

Apparently, many of those struck were members of Hezbollah, but it was not clear at the time of publication whether other individuals also had such devices.

The pager explosions occurred mainly in areas where Hamas has a strong presence, particularly in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Beqaa region in eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The Israeli military declined to comment.

The explosions came hours after Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet, said it had foiled an attempt by Hezbollah to kill a former senior Israeli security official using a remote-controlled explosive device.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States "had no prior knowledge of this incident" and was not involved. "We are currently gathering information," he said.

Experts say the pager explosions point to a long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the devices with explosives before they were sent to Lebanon.

Lebanon's Health Minister Firas Abiad told Qatar's Al Jazeera network that at least nine people had been killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and about 2,750 others were injured, 200 of them critically. Most have injuries on the face, hand or around the abdomen.

Hezbollah said in a statement that two of its members were among those killed. One of them was Mahdi Ammar, the son of a Hezbollah member of parliament, and two sons of other prominent figures were wounded, the Hezbollah official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also hit civilians," Hezbollah said, adding that Israel "will receive the deserved response."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned members of the group not to carry mobile phones, saying they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out attacks.

Sean Moorhouse, a former British army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert, said footage of the explosions suggested a small explosive device, the size of a pencil eraser, had been planted in the communications device before it was delivered to the user.

"It seems very likely that all the equipment was modified before Hezbollah bought it, which points to a very successful Mossad operation," he said, referring to Israel's foreign intelligence agency. Wow