Beirut (Agencies): At least three people have been killed and more than 1,000, including members of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, were injured on Tuesday when their communication pagers mysteriously exploded across Lebanon and in parts of Syria.
The affected pagers were reportedly from a new shipment the group had received in recent days, according to individuals familiar with the situation. A Hezbollah official suggested that the devices may have been compromised by malware, causing them to overheat and explode. Some operatives reportedly noticed the devices heating up and discarded them before they detonated.
The exact cause of the explosions remains unclear, with the blasts spread across several areas in Lebanon where Hezbollah maintains a significant presence. The Israel declined to comment on the incident.
The number of casualties has been rising rapidly, with a Hezbollah official estimating that more than 1,000 people had been injured. Hospitals in Lebanon are struggling to manage the influx of wounded, with emergency services in downtown Beirut scrambling to transport victims as ambulance sirens filled the streets.
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces confirmed that wireless communication devices had exploded in various parts of the country, with a particular concentration in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. They urged residents to keep roads clear for ambulances transporting the injured to medical facilities.
Medical staff reported severe injuries, including severed fingers, head trauma, and deep gashes to torsos.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating that the number of emergency room admissions was extraordinarily high, particularly in southern Lebanon.
“Clearly the number will be in the hundreds of casualties,” Abiad said. “Hospitals are struggling to triage patients, and the health apparatus is working at full capacity.”
Abiad also noted that medical staff had begun discarding their pagers, fearing a second wave of detonations, while authorities continue to investigate the cause of the explosions.
An anonymous Hezbollah official told Reuters that the explosion of the pagers is the “biggest security breach” the terror group has experienced since the beginning of the war.
Yisrael Hayom reported that a Lebanese security source told an Arabic media outlet: “It’s impossible to count the number of areas in Lebanon where Hezbollah’s communication devices were blown up. The information suggests that the operations were carried out simultaneously and from more than one location. The breach was achieved using advanced technology, and the situation is very dangerous.”
Earlier today, there were reports of frantic consultations within the security system. These consultations took place on the same day the Shin Bet reported that it thwarted a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a former senior security official, as well as the decision by the war cabinet to make the safe return of northern residents to their homes an official war objective.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, citing concerns that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted strikes.