Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, was claimed to have planted explosives in 5,000 pagers being used by the Lebanese group, designated a terror organisation by governments including in the US and UK. Nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded, including Iran’s envoy to Lebanon, when around 3,000 of the devices were triggered when a coded message was reportedly sent to them.
Hezbollah was using the pagers after scaling back use of mobile phones as they believed they could be vulnerable to Israeli spy operations.
The pager plot was an unprecedented Hezbollah security failure.
The Iran-backed group has vowed to retaliate with “harsh punishment” against Israel, whose military declined to comment on the blasts.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to make an address tomorrow.
This story is from the September 18, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the September 18, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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