BEIRUT. A wave of mysterious pager explosions struck members of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and injuring over 2,700 others, according to Lebanese officials. Hezbollah, along with the Lebanese government, has pointed to Israel as the orchestrator of this highly sophisticated remote attack.
Among the injured is Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who sustained superficial wounds from one of the pager blasts. The explosions occurred amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that ignited the current conflict in Gaza. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire along the Israel-Lebanon border ever since.
Hezbollah members had been using the pagers after the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, ordered them to abandon cell phones earlier this year, citing concerns that Israeli intelligence could track them. A Hezbollah official, who spoke anonymously, confirmed that the pagers were recently acquired but refused to specify how long they had been in use.
Criminal Aggression Blamed on Israel
At 3:30 p.m. local time, the pagers exploded nearly simultaneously as civilians shopped, relaxed in cafes, or commuted in Beirut, the Beqaa region of Lebanon, and parts of Damascus. Blood-soaked scenes of panic unfolded, with many of the casualties believed to be Hezbollah members. The group later confirmed that eight of the dead belonged to Hezbollah, including the son of a parliament member.
“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah stated, adding that “Israel will for sure get its just punishment.”
The explosions were primarily concentrated in Hezbollah strongholds, including a southern Beirut suburb and Beqaa, as well as Damascus, officials said. According to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad, at least 200 of the wounded are critically injured, many suffering from injuries to the face, hands, and abdomen. Hospitals in the affected areas were overwhelmed as victims, some missing limbs, were rushed in.
An online video captured one of the horrific moments when a man’s pager exploded while he was picking through produce at a grocery store. Bystanders fled in terror as the explosion hurled him to the ground.
Israel Declines Comment
Israel has declined to comment on the attacks, but hours earlier, Israel’s security agency claimed it had thwarted a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a former senior Israeli security official. Experts suggest that the pager explosions may have been part of a meticulously planned operation by infiltrating the supply chain of the devices and rigging them with explosives.
According to Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert, the explosive charges within the pagers were likely tiny—about the size of a pencil eraser. “These devices were probably rigged before delivery, most likely by Mossad,” he said.
Elijah J. Magnier, a senior political risk analyst, said that Hezbollah members who examined the pagers that did not explode believed the blasts were triggered by an error message sent to all the devices. The message caused the pagers to vibrate, forcing users to interact with them, inadvertently detonating the small explosives inside.
UN Deplores Escalation
The U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, condemned the attacks, calling them “an extremely concerning escalation” in an already volatile situation.
As tensions continue to escalate, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has signaled that the focus of the conflict may be shifting from Gaza to northern Israel, where Hezbollah’s attacks have killed hundreds in Lebanon and displaced thousands.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
