Pager explosion in Lebanon: more than 2700 injured

A surprise attack on Lebanese Hezbollah through a messaging device

Hundreds of members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah were wounded after the simultaneous explosion of the pagers they were using, news agencies reported.

Surveillance camera footage shows multiple explosions. In one video, an explosion occurs in a man's pocket in a shopping center^[1].

The Lebanese authorities confirmed that nine people were killed and nearly 2 750 injured in the blasts, 200 of them in critical condition.

Hezbollah reported the death of two of its fighters and an eight-year-old girl. According to AFP, she was the daughter of one of its members.

The wounded include Hezbollah fighters and medics, as well as the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon. According to Iranian television, his life was not in danger, and his injuries were minor.

The Lebanese state news agency reports that explosions were heard, among other things, in the southern district of the capital, Beirut, which is considered to be a Hezbollah stronghold, as well as in several other regions of the country.

Several pagers are also known to have exploded in Syria, near Lebanon. In the Syrian capital, Damascus, and on the outskirts of the city, 14 people were wounded, but their nationalities were not specified, according to the independent monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights^[2].

An unnamed Hezbollah official told Reuters it was the organization's worst security failure recently.

Explosives may have been hidden in a fake electronic part

According to BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, who cites an unnamed former British Army officer, the message receivers could have contained between 10 and 20 grams of high explosives. The explosive devices then had to be activated using a special alphanumeric message. The first person to use the receiver would then activate the device and it would explode, according to the expert.

The BBC correspondent estimated that less than 1% of the IEDs were fatal, but hundreds of people were seriously injured, and the incident was a major psychological blow to Hezbollah.

Why does Hezbollah need pagers and what could be the consequences of explosions?

Paul Adams, BBC diplomatic commentator:

It's hard to think of a more fear- and confusion-inducing strike. "Hezbollah is heavily reliant on communication between its various components.

The decision to abandon mobile phones as too vulnerable has long been taken, as demonstrated by the assassination of Yahya Ayyash, the chief engineer of Hamas's attack organization, by Israeli special services in 1996, using a bomb on a mobile phone.

This time, Hezbollah members died in shopping malls, streets, cars, homes and even hairdressers. Incidents were reported from all over Lebanon, from Beirut to the Bekaa Valley, and even from neighboring Syria. Although the explosions were small, some resulted in fatal injuries.

At a time when Hezbollah and Israel are fighting a low-intensity war, this attack will undermine Hezbollah's manpower, communications, and, it is said, morale.

Israel has not yet commented on what is going on, but it is almost certain that this is an operation carried out by it.

Is this a prelude to a bigger attack? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Special Representative Amos Hochstein that Israel will do whatever is necessary to ensure its security.

There is no sign of any build-up of troops and armored vehicles on the Lebanese-Israeli border for a major military invasion of southern Lebanon, but today's explosions represent another escalation. It is hard to imagine that Hezbollah will not feel compelled to respond in some way.

Hezbollah blames Israel for the attack

Reuters reports that the explosions lasted more than 30 minutes^[3].

Lebanese security sources told the BBC that Israeli security services hacked the messaging devices used by Hezbollah members to communicate. In an official statement, Hezbollah said it was investigating the cause of the bombings and held Israel responsible.

The Israeli authorities have not yet commented on the details of the explosions.

However, these events took place just hours after a meeting of the Israeli government, at which the army was tasked with ensuring the safe return of some 60,000 Israelis to the northern regions of the country.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch a military operation to push Hezbollah out of the Lebanese border areas and to stop the group's constant shelling.

Since 7 October, when Hamas invaded Israel and the Israeli army launched its operation in the Gaza Strip, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah on the Lebanese border.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas rely on Iranian support; both groups are considered terrorists by Israel and the West.