Lebanon Explosion: How Israel Planted Explosives In Pagers Used By Hezbollah | EXPLAINER
Hundreds of wireless devices used by members of Hezbollah exploded across different regions of Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. The Lebanese Health Minister confirmed that total nine people were killed and over 3000 were injured in the blast.
According to the New York Times, American officials and others accused Israel of planting explosives in Taiwan-made pagers brought by Hezbollah and triggering them with a fake message. It is believed that the Israeli spy agency placed two ounces of explosive materials, next to the batteries, along with a switch to denote it.
Also Read: 9 Killed, Around 2800 Injured As Hezbollah Fighters’ Pagers Explode In Lebanon
Hezbollah Accuses Israel Of Tampering With Pagers
The senior Lebanese security reportedly alleged that the 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers were tampered with, months before the deadly blast took place. The reports further claimed that Israeli intelligence is believed to be behind this. Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah cautioned its members against using cell phones in light of concerns regarding Israeli units.
Following the warning, the Hezbollah members started using pagers for secure communications. The transition, however, backfired after the batteries started heating up and eventually resulted in the explosion.
News agency Reuters reported that the Hezbollah members have accused Israel of injecting a board within the devices that contained explosive materials.
What Exactly Happened?
On Tuesday, the pagers showed an error message and started vibrating, triggering the explosion. A coded message beeped in about 3000 devices at the same time resulting in the deadly blast.
According to the Wall Street Journal, few members have disposed of their devices after realizing the temperature of the batteries rising.
