On Tuesday, pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, exploded almost simultaneously. The incident exposed a serious security breach and highlighted Israel’s intelligence capabilities. Let’s learn more about Israel planned deadly pager blasts targeting Hezbollah, injuring thousands in Lebanon.
According to a CNN report, the blasts killed at least nine, including a 10-year-old child. It also injured more than 2000 people. The Lebanese health Minister said that over 150 people are in critical condition, and the nature of the injuries is still unclear. This attack further escalated tensions in the Middle East during the Israel and Hamas conflict.
Explosives In Hezbollah Pagers
According to Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces, the pager blasts targeting Hezbollah members particularly affected the southern suburbs of Beirut. The New York Times reported that Israel planted explosives in Hezbollah pagers, which were made in Taiwan.
The hacked pager devices exploded in the Hezbollah stronghold towns of Ali Al-Nahri Riyaq in the central Beqaa valley. The explosives were placed near the pager battery and detonated remotely, resulting in a deadly explosion that caused numerous deaths and injuries.
The devices detonated almost simultaneously after receiving a message. According to sources, Hezbollah bought the pagers months ago. But the pagers were not only in the hands of militant group members but also with others working in security forces, who were also injured.
Hezbollah Response to Israel Attack on Lebanon
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against the deadly Israeli attack. Sources say that the blasts were the result of a combined operation between Mossad, Israel’s Intelligence Service, and its military unit. However, the Israeli military has not commented on the explosions.
Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Iran have collectively referred to the attack as ‘Israeli terrorism’. The militant group also said that its operation against Israel would continue. However, this incident underscores the vulnerability of Hezbollah and the scale of Israel’s intelligence.
US and Hamas on Pager Blasts
The United States has said that it is gathering information on the Lebanon pager blasts that killed and injured Hezbollah fighters and local citizens. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that the US was neither involved in nor aware of the incident earlier.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, strongly condemned the pager explosion on its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in an official statement. It called the incident a ‘Zionist Terrorist aggression’, and further added that the attack did not differentiate between civilians and resistance fighters.
