Pagers exploded all across Lebanon and parts of Syria today. Lebanese officials speculate the explosions were a remote attack orchestrated by Israeli intelligence, targeting members of Hezbollah. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging blows for nearly a year. If Israel is indeed behind the pager attack, this would mark a significant escalation in the conflict.
The explosions killed 8 people and injured 2,750 across Lebanon, according to Hezbollah, with many in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Beqaa Valley. Among those injured were Iran’s top diplomat in Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani.
Videos by VICE
Hezbollah members rely on pagers for secure communication, as a low-tech alternative to cell phones and other communication methods. Hezbollah reportedly viewed pagers as harder to infiltrate.
It’s been reported by the Wall Street Journal that Hezbollah members had recently received new pages. A Hezbollah official speculates that malware installed on the pagers caused the devices to overheat and explode. Some members are said to have noticed the overheating issue and got rid of them before they could explode. The official told Reuters the Hezbollah pager explosions were the biggest security breach in the organization’s history.
In one CCTV video taken from a Lebanese market, a man can be seen picking out fruit in the lower third of the screen when the bag his phone was held in blows apart. Some bystanders ran, others stood and watched the man as he writhed in pain, clutching his lower abdomen.
Lebanese health authorities have put hospitals on high alert and are being flooded with people who have suffered injuries as a result of the explosions. Officials are urging citizens to dump their pagers if they’ve got one.
