Hundreds of pagers exploded simultaneously across parts of Lebanon and Syria – with as many as 2,750 people wounded, 200 of them critically, according to Lebanon’s health ministry
Israel is accused of carrying out a deadly mass explosion in several areas of Lebanon and Syria yesterday – killing at least nine people and injuring several thousands more.
Members of Hezbollah and an eight-year-old girl were among those who died, with Iran’s ambassador also injured, according to reports. A further 2,750 people were wounded – 200 of them critically – and nine killed, Lebanon’s health minister Firas Abiad confirmed.
Hundreds of the devices exploded simultaneously across different parts of Lebanon and Syria. Hezbollah had been using the newly-acquired pagers instead of mobile phones as it was feared phones may be easily tracked and used to pinpoint deadly strikes on its members. Here’s everything we know so far about yesterday’s explosions in Lebanon and Syria.
When and where did the explosions happen?
A series of deadly explosions rocked Lebanon’s capital Beirut and several other areas of the country at around 3:45pm local time (1:45pm BST) on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke emanating from people’s pockets, followed by small explosions that resembled fireworks and gunshots.
Shocking CCTV footage captured an explosion in a man’s trouser pocket while he was at a supermarket till. The blasts went on for approximately an hour after the initial explosions, according to Reuters news agency. Shortly afterwards, multiple people began arriving at hospitals throughout Lebanon, with witnesses describing scenes of widespread chaos and confusion.
How did the pagers explode?
Currently, there are two leading theories about how the detonations occurred. One suggests that the pagers were packed with explosives and triggered remotely, while the other says a cybersecurity breach caused the pagers’ lithium-ion batteries to overheat and explode.
A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israel’s Mossad spy agency secretly installed a small amount of explosives in thousands of pagers ordered by Hezbollah months before they blew up. The source claimed Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers, which were smuggled into Lebanon in the spring, and that the devices had been tampered with by Israel’s spy service “at the production level”.
A second security source told Reuters that up to 3g of explosives were hidden in the new pagers, which went undetected by Hezbollah for months. In a statement, the company behind the pagers said: “Apollo Gold Corporation has established a long-term private label authorisation and regional agency cooperation with BAC. According to the agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for production sales in specific regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC.”
David Kennedy, a former US National Security Agency intelligence analyst, told CNN the complexity to pull the mass explosion off was “incredible”. He said: “It’s more likely that Israel had human operatives… in Hezbollah. The pagers would have been implanted with explosives and likely only to detonate when a certain message was received.
Everything we know about the victims
A source close to Hezbollah said two of the fatalities were the sons of two Hezbollah MPs, and a daughter of a Hezbollah member was also among the deceased. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also injured in the attacks, though Iranian media reports suggest his injuries were minor. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah escaped unscathed from the explosions, according to a source cited by Reuters.
Lebanese Public Health Minister Firass Abiad said most injuries were to the hands and face. He told the BBC: “Most of the injuries appear to be to the face and especially to the eyes and also the hand with some amputations, whether it’s in the hands or the fingers, and some of them have injuries to their flank.”
He continued: “The vast majority of the people who are presenting to the emergency rooms are in civilian clothes, so it’s very difficult to discern whether they belong to a certain entity like Hezbollah or others. But we are seeing among them people who are old or people who are very young, like the child who unfortunately died… and there are some of them who are healthcare workers,” the minister added.
Outside of Lebanon, 14 individuals were injured in similar blasts in neighbouring Syria, as per the UK-based campaign group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Who is responsible?
Israel has a long history of being accused of using inventive techniques to eliminate its enemies, although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Lebanese officials have accused Israel, who is yet to comment on the blasts. Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the explosions were a “serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards”.
In its statement accusing Israel of carrying out the deadly attacks, Hezbollah said it held the country “fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians. This treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression, whether it expects it or not.”
Israeli officials are yet to comment on the allegations, but most experts agree it is likely they are behind the attack. Prof Simon Mabon, chair in International Relations at Lancaster University, told the BBC: “We know that Israel has a precedent of using technology to track its target” – but he called the scale of this attack “unprecedented”.