Hundreds of pagers exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday in an attack that apparently targeted members of the Iran-backed Islamist militant group and the Lebanese political party Hezbollah. It comes amid rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as the war in Gaza shows no end in sight.
At least nine people were killed, including a Hezbollah member and a child AP reported. More than 2,800 people were injured Ambassador of Iran in Lebanonincluding over 200 people are in critical conditionAccording to Lebanese Ministry of Health. Most of the injuries were hand injuries; Beirut’s hospitals have been and continue to be overwhelmed by patients Requesting public to donate blood.
Hezbollah officials did Israel was blamed for the attack. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on whether Israeli forces were behind the attack. Israeli officials, however, said earlier this week that the country may soon Step up its ongoing campaign against Hezbollah. Hezbollah is allied with Hamas – the militant group behind the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the latest war in Gaza – and has grown impatient with stalled cease-fire talks in the Palestinian territories, escalating hostilities and preparing for the possibility of a wider war.
The mechanism behind the explosion is unclear. D AP reported The pagers used lithium batteries and heated up before detonating. Lithium batteries can overheat, catch fire and explode “when they are damaged or improperly used, charged or stored”. National Fire Prevention Association. Some security experts believe Compact bombs were placed on pagers; Sky News Arabia reported that the pager contained an explosive heat-sensitive chemical called pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and that the temperature of their batteries increased remotely, causing the explosion.
Israel has weaponized personal communication devices against its adversaries in the past. It uses an exploded phone Hamas bomb maker killed In 1996.
Israel is known for its sophisticated electronic surveillance capabilities as well as its ability to hack cellphones and computers. Hizbollah commander Fuad Shukhar was present before Tuesday’s attack Killed in an Israeli missile attack in July He directs her to the seventh floor of his building in Beirut after receiving a mysterious phone call. After that attack, Hezbollah It is said to have stopped using cellphones on behalf of pagers and couriers who deliver messages in person; The group has used a private, fixed-line telecommunications network since the early 2000s.
If Israel was behind the Pager attack – which was far more widespread and destructive than past attacks using phones – it would demonstrate that Israeli forces have achieved a new level of sophistication in their ability to strike on enemy soil.
Israel and Hezbollah are locked in a regional conflict
The Pager attack could be a further escalation after months of escalating hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by many countries and has previously fought against Israel, launched its latest operation following an October 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, saying it was in “solidarity with the victorious Palestinian resistance”. Hostilities initially took the form of airstrikes. It has indicated that it will cease hostilities if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. More than that 41,000 Palestinians Killed in Gaza.
Nearly a year into the war, little progress has been made in ceasefire talks, especially after the latest Six hostages executed in Gaza. It is an open question whether an agreement can even be achieved US President Joe Biden before leaving office. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, Not off the deal and resisted international calls for Israeli forces to commit to a full withdrawal from Gaza.
As talks have stalled, the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has deepened, displaced More than 100,000 people who are subjected to daily searches on both sides of the Lebanese border with Israel. Although it has yet to escalate into a full-blown regional war, increasingly aggressive tactics by both sides have raised concerns that such a conflict may be inevitable.
Sharp tensions with Hezbollah, considered the most widely armed and powerful militia group in the region, could be disastrous, as Israel’s previous wars with Hezbollah in 1996 and 2006 indicate. Both conflict Lebanon suffered massive civilian casualties, killing more than 1,200 people and leading to assassinations. About 200 IsraelisMost soldiers. But Hezbollah is now one Extensive rocket and missile arsenal Which makes it a more formidable foe than ever. A larger war could draw allies on both sides into further conflict – the US on Israel’s side and Iran on Hezbollah’s side.
Such a war would represent a diplomatic setback for the United States, which has supported Israel since the start of the Gaza war and has played a leading role in ceasefire negotiations aimed at maintaining stability in the Middle East. US officials favor national security adviser Jake Sullivan on the Gaza war Repeatedly emphasized That one of the main goals of the United States is to “try to prevent the current conflict in Israel and Gaza from becoming a regional conflict.”
An attack on Pager could make it difficult for Israel and Hezbollah to maintain their animosity and put them one step closer to a full-out war. Both indicated they were Prepare for that possibility.
