Hezbollah Pager Explosion
Hezbollah has a major security breach and a pager explosion has killed at least eight people and injured more than 2,000 people
WASHINGTON — On September 17, a series of explosions involving handheld pagers in Lebanon and Syria resulted in at least 8 deaths and around 2,750 injuries, including among Hezbollah fighters and the Iranian ambassador to Beirut. Eyewitness accounts described chaotic scenes in overwhelmed hospitals, leading to urgent blood donation appeals. The Lebanese Health Ministry advised hospitals to prepare for emergencies and warned pager users against using their devices.
A Hezbollah official linked the pager explosion to Israel, citing it as a significant security breach amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. The incident highlights the rising tensions along the Lebanese border, with Israel remaining silent on the matter. At the same time, Hezbollah’s leadership has previously cautioned against the use of cell phones to evade detection and attacks.
Key Concepts
- A series of explosions involving handheld pagers in Lebanon and Syria resulted in at least 8 deaths and around 2,750 injuries.
- The explosions affected Hezbollah fighters, medical personnel, and the Iranian ambassador to Beirut.
- Hospitals in southern Beirut were overwhelmed with patients, leading to urgent blood donation appeals.
- The Lebanese Health Ministry advised pager users to refrain from using their devices amid the chaos.
- A Hezbollah official attributed the pager explosion to Israel, linking it to rising tensions along the Lebanese border.
- Lithium batteries in pagers can pose fire hazards when overheated, raising concerns about their safety.
- Israel has a history of targeting militants through technology, including explosives in mobile devices.
- Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was hospitalized with skin injuries from the explosion.
- Hezbollah’s leader warned members against using cell phones to avoid detection by Israeli forces.
- The pager explosion incident reflects the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces amid broader regional hostilities.
- Israel’s war goal is to stop Hezbollah attacks and ensure the safe return of displaced residents.
According to multiple international media reports, thousands of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday (September 17), killing at least 8 people and injuring 2,750, including Hezbollah fighters, medical personnel and the Iranian ambassador to Beirut.
Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulated on social media, and local media showed the injured lying on the sidewalk with wounds on their hands or legs.
An Associated Press photographer at a local hospital said the emergency room was packed with patients, many with limb injuries, some in serious condition.
Lebanon’s state news agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah is strong, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and south Beirut suburbs were appealing for blood donations.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to remain alert and receive emergency patients and asked people who own pagers not to use them.
Israel’s doing?
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in a cross-border war since the Gaza conflict broke out in October last year. Reuters reported that an unnamed Hezbollah official said the pager explosion was the “biggest security breach” the group had encountered in nearly a year of fighting with Israel.
The Associated Press said officials blamed Israel for the well-planned, long-range attack, which came as tensions rose along the Lebanese border. The Israeli military declined to comment on inquiries about the bombing.
“The enemy (Israel) was behind this security incident,” said a Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that a lithium battery in a new pager carried by a Hezbollah member apparently exploded.
Lithium batteries, widely used in mobile phones and laptops, can smoke, melt, or even catch fire when they overheat. The temperature of a lithium battery fire can reach as high as 590 degrees Celsius.
Israel has used cell phones rigged with explosives to kill Hamas militants in the past and is also believed to have launched a computer virus attack targeting Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.
Iranian ambassador to Lebanon injured
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the Revolutionary Guard, said on its social media Telegram channel that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, suffered skin injuries and was under observation in hospital.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned members of the group months ago not to carry cell phones, saying Israel could use them to track their movements and carry out targeted attacks.
Three security sources said the pager that exploded was the latest model introduced by Hezbollah in recent months.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel, with clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces occurring almost daily amid Israel’s war with Hezbollah’s ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict, which has lasted more than 11 months and has killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border, saw Israel say on Tuesday that halting Hezbollah attacks in the north and allowing residents to return to their homes had become its official war goal.