Devices Explode in Lebanon, Injuring Hundreds of Hezbollah Members
The 80s-style telecommunications device is popular among militants and criminals for its alleged security.
On Tuesday, pagers (or beepers) used by Hezbollah across Lebanon exploded, killing eight people and injuring over 2,700, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Videos of the explosions flooded social media. Reuters through an anonymous source connected with Hezbollah. The source described it as “the biggest security breach” of Hezbollah’s information system they had seen. A journalist on the scene also witnessed ambulances transporting the injured to hospitals, and several people reported that the pagers kept exploding minutes after the initial attack.
Motives for the attack
The attack appears to be targeting Hezbollah, with early reports indicating it affected fighters, doctors, and even a diplomat. The Iranian news agency Mehr reported that Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon.
Hezbollah informed the Wall Street Journal that many of the explosions were concentrated in southern Lebanon, around Beirut. “Clearly, the number of casualties will be in the hundreds,” said Firas Abiad, Lebanon’s Health Minister. “Many patients are in the emergency sections of hospitals across the country, and the healthcare system is working on categorizing these cases.”
After speaking with the Journal, Abiad confirmed that eight people had died and 2,750 were injured.
Videos and images of the explosions were shared on social media in the hours following the attack. In one video, a man is shopping when something in his pocket explodes, throwing him to the ground, screaming in pain. In another, a man is paying at a store when his pager explodes, injuring him and causing the employee to run out. It is unclear how many collateral damages have occurred as a result of the attacks.
Footage of the moment when Israel remotely hacked into Hezbollah’s unique communication devices and blew them up throughout Lebanon today.
— Clash Report (@clashreport)
What do the reports say?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the explosive pagers were part of a recent shipment intended for Hezbollah fighters. Hundreds of them had the devices, and a Hezbollah official speculated that they had been infected with malware. Some people felt the pagers heating up before the explosion and managed to get rid of them before the attack. Criminals and military organizations sometimes use pagers because they are perceived as more secure than traditional communication methods, such as smartphones.
The perpetrators of the attack are unknown, but Lebanon shares a border with Israel, and Hezbollah has been launching rockets at that country since October 7. Placing explosives in an enemy’s pocket is the type of operation Israel usually carries out. In July, , with a package remotely detonated. A Mossad agent managed to place the explosive device in his dormitory.
Israel has not taken responsibility for the attacks in Lebanon nor has it issued any comments to any media.
This article has been translated from Gizmodo US by Lucas Handley. you can find the original version.
