How the explosions were rigged, what will happen next, and what the point was. All are questions that remain unanswered.
Beirut, Lebanon – At least nine people were killed and some 3,000 injured, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, when thousands of pagers exploded – nearly simultaneously – in Lebanon.
The attack on Tuesday, which purportedly targeted members of the Hezbollah group, caused havoc in civilian areas and overwhelmed hospitals.
A resident of the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp told media traffic was heavy as bloodied people arrived at the nearby Al Rassoul al-Azam Hospital.
Lebanese hospitals called on all available medics to report for duty as injured people poured through their doors in need of treatment, many covered in blood and in visible pain.
Iranian media said Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured by an exploding pager.
Iran’s mission in Beirut later posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying Amani’s treatment was “progressing well”, adding the reports of his “physical condition and vision are false”.
Attacks were also reported in neighbouring Syria.
Videos circulated online of men out and about – buying fruit or checking out at the grocery store – when a small explosion sends them tumbling to the ground and bystanders running from the detonation.
Among the dead was Fatima Abdallah Jaafar, a 10-year-old from Saraaine in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, who died when her father’s pager exploded.
Hezbollah blamed Israel and declared to exact a “fair punishment” on their enemies.
The Lebanese government also held Israel responsible for the attack.
However, Israel refrained from making any remarks. Israeli media reports said the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered ministers not to give interviews at this time.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel announced the expansion of its war goals to include northern residents returning to their homes.
Hezbollah pledges ‘fair punishment’
This extends the war goals from Gaza to across the Lebanese border, while Israeli rhetoric over an expanded war – including a possible ground invasion – intensifies.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the time to avoid a military confrontation in Lebanon was running out and that the “only way left to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities” would be through military action.
Hezbollah officials have said since October last year that they would consider the fight over if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
The United States has denied any information about the attack beforehand.
US officials said they had no prior knowledge and were still gathering facts. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US wants a “diplomatic resolution” to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The scale of the attack shocked many as speculation over how Hezbollah’s communication network was penetrated was rife and conspiracy theories began to spread.
One, which spread rapidly on WhatsApp, had a woman’s voice claiming the attack was known about in advance by the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC).
The basis for this seems to be that AUBMC switched to a new system on August 29.
However, AUBMC announced in response to the rumours, that the upgrade to its paging system was implemented as far back as April, and what happened in August was simply an activation.
Hezbollah recently received a shipment of pagers after secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah insisted that members stop using mobile phones to avoid being hacked or targeted by Israeli aerial attacks.
Photos of the pagers show they were AR-924s from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo. The company quickly announced that it had authorised a Hungarian company called BAC to use the Gold Apollo trademark for certain regions.
The AR-924, its statement said, “is produced and sold by BAC. We only provide brand trademark authorisation.”
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