Official Lebanese Health Ministry figures report that nine people were killed, including a young girl, and approximately 2,750 wounded due to simultaneous pager explosions. The Lebanese government has attributed “Israeli aggression” as the cause of the attack, while Hezbollah also holds Israel responsible. Although Israel has not yet issued an official comment, there are reports from the region that war preparations are underway. Additionally, Israeli Channel 14 has stated that senior Israeli military officials are preparing for a third Hezbollah war, which is expected to begin shortly.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) provided some initial details on the sophisticated attack that Lebanese and Arab sources have condemned as a major “terror attack. The affected pagers were from a new shipment received by the group in recent days, according to people familiar with the matter. A Hezbollah official said hundreds of fighters had such devices, speculating that malware may have caused the devices to explode. The official also mentioned that some people felt the pagers heat up and disposed of them before they exploded.
Hezbollah stated that a number of pagers carried by its members simultaneously exploded at 3:30 PM. It was initially unclear what caused the blasts, which were spread out across the country in several areas where Hezbollah has a heavy presence. Israeli media suggests Mossad rigged the pager batteries of a shipment imported five months ago by placing a quantity of PETN – a highly explosive material – on the batteries of the devices and detonating them by raising the temperature of the batteries from afar.
There are reports that European airlines have begun canceling flights to Lebanon and Israel amid headlines of war plans, while Lebanese schools and universities announced widespread closures for tomorrow. The US administration appears to be standing idly by in the meantime. War looks imminent, with Israeli media reporting that Mossad rigged the pager batteries of a shipment imported five months ago.
As more details emerge, it becomes clear that Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, may have orchestrated a covert operation that resulted in significant casualties among Hezbollah operatives and Lebanese civilians in southern Beirut on Tuesday. The telecommunications devices used by Hezbollah members began exploding, resulting in hundreds wounded and possibly fatalities in the suburb of Dahiyeh. It is unclear how Israel managed to infiltrate Hezbollah’s communication systems – whether through small bombs placed in the pagers or a large-scale cyberhack. However, it is evident that they were remotely detonated.
Hezbollah officials have called this incident the “biggest security breach” since the start of their nearly year-long conflict with Israel. The group often relies on low-tech devices for communication due to the ease of interception by intelligence services. Local hospitals are reportedly inundated with victims, while residents claim that explosions were still occurring 30 minutes after the initial blasts.
Israel has not yet commented on the apparent covert operation, but a prominent Lebanese and regional war monitor account shared some videos showing the chaos in the aftermath of the initial explosions. As more information becomes available, the situation remains tense and uncertain.
