Hezbollah wants revenge

Israel apparently prepared pagers with explosives

Chaotic scenes after the simultaneous detonations in Beirut

(Bild: APA/AP)

The suspected coordinated explosions of portable radio receivers in Lebanon, which left thousands injured and nine dead, are fueling fears of a major war between Israel and Hezbollah. According to media reports, the pagers were presumably prepared with explosives by Israeli agents. Many had come from a shipment to Hezbollah from Taiwan, which the Israeli secret service had apparently intercepted before their arrival.

The simultaneous explosion of hundreds of pagers injured around 2,750 people in Lebanon on Tuesday, killing nine. Many of the injured are said to be Hezbollah fighters, including members of the elite Radwan force. The pro-Iranian Shiite militia blamed Israel and announced retaliation. Lebanese parliamentary leader Nabih Berri, who is allied with Hezbollah, spoke of a "massacre and war crime by Israel". In memory of the victims of the incidents and in protest, schools and universities in Lebanon are to remain closed on Wednesday.

Following the pager explosions, the Lebanese Ministry of Health called on people to donate blood.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Media report: Parts of the militia paralyzed after attack
According to the US news portal "Axios", the explosions also paralyzed a significant part of Hezbollah's military command and control system. The attack carried out by Israel was aimed at unsettling the powerful militia and creating the feeling in its ranks that it was completely penetrated by Israeli intelligence services, Axios quoted an unspecified source as saying. The USA, Israel's most important ally, was not involved, according to a spokesperson for the US State Department, and therefore had no prior knowledge of such an operation. 

What is a pager?

A pager (colloquially known as a beeper) is a small portable radio receiver that is usually used for alerting purposes and to transmit messages as part of a radio service.

The devices have since been replaced by cell phones and smartphones. However, pagers are still used in certain situations due to their greater reliability.

Iran offers Lebanon support
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the explosions as an "act of terrorism" and blamed Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran is an important ally of the Hezbollah militia, and both deny the Jewish state the right to exist. Araghchi expressed his condolences to his Lebanese colleague Abdullah Bou Habib and offered Iran's support. The first Iranian aid teams have already been dispatched.

The radio receivers in Lebanon were detonated just hours after a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet. The cabinet had declared the return of Israeli citizens who had fled from army battles with Hezbollah to their homes in the north of the country to be one of the war aims - alongside the liberation of hostages from the embattled Gaza Strip and the destruction of the Islamist Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah.