Pager explosions: Explosions occur at several Hezbollah sites across Lebanon. Hezbollah blames Israel.
Beirut:
Simultaneous pager explosions aimed at the US-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon killed nine people and injured more than 2,800, many of them seriously. Iranian state media reported that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also injured in the incident. The explosions occurred at around 3:30pm local time in Lebanon (6pm Indian Standard Time).
Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that nine people were killed and around 2,800 were injured in the incident.
“Nine people were killed, including a young girl,” he said at a televised press conference, adding that “some 2,800 were injured, more than 200 of them seriously.” Most of the injuries were in the face, hands and stomach, he said.
The 10-year-old daughter of a Hezbollah member was killed in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, and the War of Independence Observatory said 14 people were wounded in a pager explosion in Syria.
Banned by both the United States and the European Union, Hezbollah is a Lebanese political and military establishment backed by Iran. Hezbollah supports Hamas, which has been fighting Israel in Gaza since October 2023.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP news agency that the dead included the sons of Hezbollah lawmakers Ali Ammar and Hassan Fadlallah.
Some reports have claimed that the explosion was caused by overheating of lithium batteries due to an electronic signal compromise (much like a cyber attack), while others claim that a thin explosive was planted inside the pagers before they were delivered. NDTV cannot independently verify any of these claims at this time.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack, calling it the “biggest security breach” it has ever faced. Hezbollah said the pagers all exploded at almost the same time, and that it was an “Israeli infringement” of its communications network.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in the incident.
Hezbollah positions across Lebanon have been attacked in an “Israeli incursion.” This is the first major incident since the October 7 “terror attack” that targeted Israeli citizens, in which Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel almost daily to support Hamas, which is at war with Israel in Gaza.
Explosions have also occurred outside Lebanon, including at least one pager exploding inside a car in Damascus, Syria, injuring four people.
“A pager explosion occurred in the south and in Beirut’s southern suburbs, wounding dozens of Hezbollah members,” a source close to Hezbollah told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Lebanon’s state-run News Agency called the almost simultaneous “pager explosions” across the country an “unprecedented enemy security incident.”
Hezbollah communicates using its own communications system and has asked its members to refrain from using mobile phones since the start of the Gaza war almost a year ago, according to AFP, in a bid to avoid Israeli piracy.
Hezbollah condemns Israel in statement
Hezbollah released a statement shortly after the pager explosion, saying: “On Tuesday at approximately 3:30 pm (local time), several pagers used by Hezbollah members and employees of various agencies exploded.”
“Israel bears full responsibility for the pager bombing,” Hezbollah claimed.
The statement added that “a girl and her two brothers” were killed in the attack and many others were injured.
“Hezbollah authorities are currently conducting extensive safety and scientific investigations to determine the cause of these simultaneous explosions,” it added.
The statement urged citizens to “be wary of rumors and misinformation spread by certain groups” as they could be used by Israel in psychological warfare.
Israel has yet to respond to these claims by Hezbollah and Iran.
What is a pager and how does it work?
A pager is an electronic communication device that was primarily used to send text or alphanumeric messages in the 1990s and early 2000s. Pagers typically alert or update the end user by beeping, vibrating, or flashing short text notifications.
A pager, also called a beeper or bleeper, is a wireless communication device that receives and displays alphanumeric and sometimes voice messages.
There are different kinds of pagers. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while two-way or “response” pagers can also respond. The response is also alphanumeric text and uses an internal transmitter to acknowledge or reply to the original message.
Two-way pagers (also called answer pagers) typically operate using the ReFLEX protocol, which was developed in the mid-1990s by Motorola Corp. While FLEX only provides for one-way communication (from the provider to the pager device), a related protocol called ReFLEX provides for two-way messaging.
Modern paging systems typically use multiple base transmitters modulating the same signal on the same RF or radio frequency channel, a design technique known as simulcasting.
Data transmitted via FLEX and ReFLEX is not encrypted and is therefore vulnerable to compromise. Although there are codes used to improve data integrity, they are not cryptographically secure.
It is unclear what encryption method Hezbollah used.
