An attack is reported in Lebanon was killed eight people and more than 2,700 injured. On Tuesday, hundreds of pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah were simultaneously detonated, and the Iranian-backed militant group blamed Israel.
A day after Israeli leaders warned Pagers belonging to members of the Lebanon group exploded at one point to boost their military campaign against Hezbollah. Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming out of the victims’ pockets, followed by sounds reminiscent of fireworks or gunshots.
The health minister of Lebanon said that the condition of 200 of the wounded is serious. He added that many victims suffered injuries to their faces, especially their eyes. According to the Minister of Health, there were also many hand and stomach injuries. According to Iranian state media, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amini, is among the wounded.
The New York Times he says The Israeli army declined to comment.
It is not clear how the perpetrators organized or carried out the attacks. It is also not known if the pagers were physically tampered with or if the attacks were somehow carried out through software. The latter, no matter how far-fetched it may seem, could lead to widespread panic about the safety of any mobile device with a battery. NYT Some in Lebanon are afraid to use their phones after the attacks, with one resident saying, “Please turn off the phone!” to the caller.
The Times Hezbollah, which has long been suspected of using cell phones near the Israeli border because of the devices’ geolocation capabilities, says it recently switched from cell phones to pagers. In February, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah reportedly warned the group that their phones were dangerous and could be used as spy tools by Israel. He advised the group to “break them or bury them.”
It is reported that experts do not yet know exactly how the pagers were distributed to Hezbollah members. They say that given Iran’s history of providing weapons, technology and other military aid to Hezbollah, it would have played a key role in receiving and delivering them.
