Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate after an Israeli attack that killed several people and injured thousands across Lebanon on Tuesday. The attack occurred when pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded at the same time, showing a major security failure and highlighting Israel’s intelligence capabilities.
At least nine people, including a child, died, and around 2,800 were injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad. Among the injured, 170 people are in critical condition, though the details of their injuries are not yet clear.
This attack increases already high tensions in the Middle East, with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It also shows Hezbollah’s vulnerability, as its communication network was infiltrated. Hezbollah has long relied on secrecy and low-tech devices to avoid being targeted, but this incident demonstrates the group’s exposure to Israeli intelligence.
Reports suggest that the explosions were part of a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, and the Israeli military. While Israel has not officially commented, both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the attack.
Speculation has grown about how these simple communication devices were hacked. It is believed that Israel hid explosives inside a batch of pagers, manufactured by the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, destined for Hezbollah. A switch was added to the pagers to trigger them remotely.
Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, explained that the pagers involved were distributed by a European company under the Gold Apollo brand. He denied direct involvement, noting that his company had signed a contract allowing the European distributor to use their brand name.
Hezbollah issued a strong statement, promising that Israel would face consequences for this attack, both in predictable and unexpected ways. The group also vowed to continue its operations against Israel.
Earlier, Hezbollah confirmed through its Telegram channel that many of its workers were hurt in the blasts. The militant group has long avoided high-tech communications to prevent infiltration from Israel and the U.S., relying on a low-tech internal communication network.
Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also injured, along with two embassy workers. His injuries are reportedly minor.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the attack, calling it a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. He labeled it a serious crime during a government meeting on Tuesday.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October, Israel and Hezbollah have been involved in tit-for-tat strikes. Despite the explosion, the Israeli military has not issued new warnings to civilians, but it urged the public to stay alert.
Exploding pagers were reported in the towns of Ali Al-Nahri and Riyaq, both Hezbollah strongholds.
The explosives were reportedly hidden next to the batteries in the pagers, and a remote trigger was used to set them off. Lebanese officials advised the public to discard pagers and warned hospitals to be on high alert to help the large number of injured.
Following the attacks, European airlines, including Air France and Lufthansa, suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut due to the security risks in the region.
The United States stated it had no involvement in the explosions and was not aware of the operation before it happened.
The attack adds to the already complex and dangerous situation in the region, with tensions between Israel and Hezbollah growing even more intense after this latest incident.
