Hezbollah walkie-talkie explosions

According to the sources, the walkie-talkies were stuffed with explosives in advance by Israeli intelligence and then supplied to Hezbollah as par of the emergency communication system to be used during combat operations with Israel

On September 17, many pagers exploded almost simultaneously in different parts of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, twelve people were killed, including two children, and 2,800 more were hospitalized. The Shiite movement Hezbollah blamed the explosions on Israel and promised a “fair retaliation.” According to one version, the incident was a result of a cyberattack. The pagers were reportedly brought to Lebanon for Hezbollah members in the spring of this year with explosive devices already embedded in them.

On September 18, a new wave of explosions swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 14 people were killed and some 450 more injured.

The attack was geared to “increase paranoia and fear in Hezbollah’s ranks” to press its leadership to change its policy on the conflict with Israel. “The goal was to convince Hezbollah that it is in its interest to disconnect itself from Hamas and cut a separate deal for ending the fighting with Israel regardless of a ceasefire in Gaza,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.

Israel is behind the explosions of thousands of two-way personal radios of Hezbollah members, the Axios news portal said, citing sources familiar with the operation.

According to the sources, the walkie-talkies were stuffed with explosives in advance by Israeli intelligence and then supplied to Hezbollah as par of the emergency communication system to be used during combat operations with Israel.