Members of Hezbollah, the militant organization supported by Iran in Lebanon, detonated pagers nearly simultaneously on Tuesday. The incident exposed a serious security breach and highlighted Israel’s intelligence capabilities. Let’s learn more about Israel planned deadly pager blasts targeting it, 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 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 detonated in the central Beqaa valley’s Ali Al-Nahri Riyaq towns, which are Hezbollah strongholds. 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 it 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. Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, affirmed that the US had no knowledge or involvement in the earlier event.
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’,. Further added that the attack did not differentiate between civilians and resistance fighters.