Lebanon has been rocked by a series of devastating explosions linked to Hezbollah communication devices, resulting in significant casualties and widespread panic. The latest attacks, involving exploding walkie-talkies, have left at least 20 dead and over 450 injured, just one day after an attack using exploding pagers killed 12 people and injured thousands more.
As Lebanon experiences a sinister new era of war tactics, officials are worried about what’s to come next.
Here’s everything we know so far about the Lebanon telecommunications attacks.
The Significance of Targeted Communication Devices
The targeting of communication devices has taken the conflict in Lebanon to an unprecedented level. These tools are more than just gadgets — they’re essential lifelines that can make or break operations. A Hezbollah official has called it the group’s “biggest security breach”, per Al Jazeera.
Six months prior to these attacks, to boost their security, Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah urged his members and their families in southern Lebanon to ditch their mobile phones.
In a televised speech, he advised them to “shut it off, bury it, put it in an iron chest and lock it up” for their safety. Instead, they turned to pagers, thinking this older technology would be harder for Israel to track or hack into.
“You’re not really giving anything about yourself away from them, so they (Hezbollah) thought it would be a more secure way to communicate with each other,” Toby Walsh from the UNSW School of Computer Science and Engineering told the ABC.
However, the recent explosions have shattered that sense of security.
Sources told Reuters that Israel’s Mossad spy agency planted a small amount of explosives inside 5000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah before they were imported into Lebanon.
The simultaneous detonations suggest that these devices were rigged with explosives, raising serious concerns about how deeply adversaries can infiltrate secure communications.
UN secretary general António Guterres believes that this week’s attacks are actually a prelude to a bigger Israeli attack on Lebanon. “Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a pre-emptive strike before a major military operation,” Guterres told reporters per The Guardian.
Hezbollah, which Australia has designated as a terrorist organisation, has placed the blame for the devastating explosions on its longtime adversary, Israel. However, Israeli officials have so far declined to comment on the accusations.
What happened with the pager explosions in Lebanon?
The chaos began on September 17, when numerous pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon. Reports indicate that these devices detonated simultaneously after receiving a specific message, which was believed to have been sent as part of a coordinated attack.
The explosions occurred in various public places, including grocery stores and homes, leading to a tragic toll — at least 12 fatalities and approximately 2,800 injuries, including citizens. Many suffered severe injuries, including loss of limbs and eyesight.
Dr. Elias Warrak, a physician treating the injured, told the BBC that it was “the worst day” of his career. He noted that over 60 per cent of the patients he treated had lost at least one eye due to the blasts.
“I believe the number of casualties and the type of damage that has been done is humongous,” he said.
What are the Lebanon walkie-talkie explosions?
Just as the nation began to grapple with the aftermath of the pager explosions, another wave of destruction struck on September 18. Walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated in southern Beirut and other regions known as “Hezbollah strongholds”.
This second series of blasts occurred during funerals for some of the victims from the previous day’s attacks, adding to the horror and confusion.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as mourners fled in panic following the explosions. “The pain is huge, physical and in the heart. But this is something we are used to, and we will continue with our resistance,” said a young man at the funeral to the BBC.
The death toll is at least 20, with more than 450 people injured at the time of writing.
What has been the response to the recent explosions in Lebanon?
Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating these attacks, claiming that explosives were secretly planted within both the pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members. Hezbollah have vowed retaliation.
“The resistance will continue today, like any other day, its operations to support Gaza, its people and its resistance which is a separate path from the harsh punishment that the criminal enemy (Israel) should await in response to Tuesday’s massacre,” Hezbollah said in a statement following the pager attacks, per the ABC.
Meanwhile, the US wanted to make it clear that they don’t have anything to do with the explosions from this week’s attacks. “What I can tell you is we were not involved in yesterday’s incidents or today’s in any way, and I don’t have anything more to share,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a White House press briefing, per CNN.
As for Australia, when foreign minister Penny Wong was asked whether the attacks should be condemned or not, this is what she had to say: “Look, I would say all violence is something we don’t wish to see. We wish to see peace in the Middle East. Again, I would make the point I’ve made about Hezbollah — it’s a terrorist organisation. We list it as such in Australia. But ultimately what we want to see is an end to this cycle of violence from all sides.”
UN secretary general António Guterres did condemn the attacks and has asked for restraint from both Hezbollah and Israel and a consideration for the civilians involved. “I think it’s very important that there is an effective control of civilian objects, not to weaponise civilian objects. That should be a rule that … governments should be able to implement,” Guterres said to reporters per Al Jazeera.
The targeting of communication devices signals a new phase in the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, leaving many to wonder what the future holds for this troubled region.
Lead image: AP News/Getty Images
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