Pager explosions in Lebanon: Hezbollah accuses Israel amidst tensions
At least nine people were killed and over 2,800 injured as a result of pager explosions purchased for its members by the Lebanese organisation Hezbollah. Tel Aviv remains silent, but Beirut does not doubt that Israel is behind the ruse, which exploited the militants' abandonment of smartphones.
The series of explosions occurred on Tuesday morning (17th September) in Lebanon, mainly in areas considered Hezbollah strongholds: in the Bekaa Valley, on the outskirts of Beirut, and in the south, as reported by the American agency Associated Press.
According to our findings, Israel bears "full responsibility" for this "criminal attack, which also affected the civilian population" - Hezbollah said in a statement. Tel Aviv remains silent on the matter.
The Lebanese armed organisation added that the response to Tuesday's attack would come from both "directions the enemy expects" and those "for which it is not prepared."
Experts comment on the attack on Hezbollah
How did the attack happen? - Approximately 10-20 grams of military-grade explosives were likely placed in the devices, and then the charges were remotely activated - said an expert who previously served in the British Army, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity.
Former CIA analyst Emily Harding added: - This is unprecedented. Hezbollah prides itself on its advanced security measures, honed through decades of fighting with Israel. An attack of such scale not only causes casualties and damage but also undermines the entire security system of the organisation.
"This attack demonstrates how deeply Israel has infiltrated Hezbollah's communication networks, allowing it to paralyse the group's operations through intelligence actions without needing ground operations" - wrote Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at the University of London, on social media.
War in the Gaza Strip. Tension on the Israel - Lebanon line increases
The details of the operation are unknown, but the media emphasise that in recent months Hezbollah decided to replace smartphones with pagers to better secure its communication system. According to the I24 portal, the exploding model was the Gold Apollo AR-924, manufactured in Taiwan.
Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Iran-backed Hezbollah has been regularly shelling northern Israel, which has met with counterattacks. In recent days, the situation on the Israel-Hezbollah line has become even more tense. Media speculate that the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu may decide on a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah is recognised as a terrorist organisation by the US, Canada, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Brussels only considers the armed wing of the "Party of God" as terrorists.
