There is constant tension between Hezbollah and Israel. But in the attacks in Lebanon, pagers became a problem for Hezbollah. A large number of pager blasts have taken place in Lebanon. Hundreds of pagers being carried by Hezbollah fighters exploded simultaneously. According to media reports, many pagers exploded in Lebanon in a span of 30 minutes, in which nine people were killed and more than 3,000 people were injured. Pager is a means of communication. Messages can be received or sent in this device. Pager is considered to be an old-fashioned communication device. It became useless after the advent of mobile phones in the year 2000. CNN report says that Israel is behind this attack. Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad and the Israeli army carried out this operation together.
Also read: Lebanon Pager Attack: Israel’s serial blast in Lebanon, Mossad fitted bomb in pager, 3000 people including Iranian ambassador affected
First they heated up, then they exploded
However, the Israeli military declined to comment. A report quoting a Hezbollah official said a new brand of handheld pagers used by the group overheated and then exploded. The official said at least two of its members were killed and others injured. Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 injured, with 200 of the injured in critical condition.
Hezbollah fighters warned not to hang up their phones
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the country’s ambassador Mojtaba Amani was slightly injured when his pager exploded and was being treated in hospital. Photos and video broadcast on social media and local media from Beirut’s southern suburbs showed people lying on pavements with wounds on their hands or near their pant pockets. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah earlier warned the group’s members not to have cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to monitor their movements and carry out targeted attacks.
When phones became deadly tools
According to the book Rise and Kill First published in 2018, Israeli intelligence forces have a decades-long history of using communication devices such as cell phones to target their enemies. One such incident dates back to 1972, when Israel is believed to have taken revenge on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for the Munich Summer Olympics massacre. Mossad spies entered the flat of Mahmoud Hamshari, the PLO’s Paris chief, and replaced the base of his phone with explosives. As soon as Hamshari picked up the phone, it was remotely detonated by the Israeli team. Hamshari lost one of his legs.
