An initial investigation by Lebanese authorities has revealed that hand-held devices – pagers and walkie-talkies – that exploded earlier this week were booby-trapped before entering the country, Lebanon‘s mission to the United Nations reported on Thursday. The devices, which included pagers and walkie-talkies, were rigged to detonate via emails and targeted users linked to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
“Initial investigations showed that the targeted devices were professionally booby-trapped… before arriving in Lebanon, and were detonated by sending emails to the devices,” said a letter from Lebanon’s mission to the UN, seen by AFP. The letter accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days.
The blasts triggered widespread panic across the country as the devices exploded in public places such as supermarkets, streets, and even funerals. The attacks have been described as “unprecedented in their brutality,” further destabilizing Lebanon and hampering diplomatic efforts to halt ongoing fighting between Israel and Gaza, as well as the clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces on Lebanon’s southern border.
While Israel has not commented on this particular incident, it has stated that its military campaign in Gaza may expand to include operations on the Lebanon front. Hezbollah, a close ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, has been engaging in near-daily clashes with Israeli forces along the border since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Lebanon’s UN mission called on the Security Council to condemn the attack, with an emergency session scheduled for Friday. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib is expected to attend the meeting, according to diplomatic sources.
The conflict has escalated tensions on Israel’s northern border, with hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers killed in the exchanges. The violence has displaced tens of thousands of people from both sides of the border, compounding the humanitarian crisis in the region.
“Initial investigations showed that the targeted devices were professionally booby-trapped… before arriving in Lebanon, and were detonated by sending emails to the devices,” said a letter from Lebanon’s mission to the UN, seen by AFP. The letter accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days.
The blasts triggered widespread panic across the country as the devices exploded in public places such as supermarkets, streets, and even funerals. The attacks have been described as “unprecedented in their brutality,” further destabilizing Lebanon and hampering diplomatic efforts to halt ongoing fighting between Israel and Gaza, as well as the clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces on Lebanon’s southern border.
While Israel has not commented on this particular incident, it has stated that its military campaign in Gaza may expand to include operations on the Lebanon front. Hezbollah, a close ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, has been engaging in near-daily clashes with Israeli forces along the border since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Lebanon’s UN mission called on the Security Council to condemn the attack, with an emergency session scheduled for Friday. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib is expected to attend the meeting, according to diplomatic sources.
The conflict has escalated tensions on Israel’s northern border, with hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers killed in the exchanges. The violence has displaced tens of thousands of people from both sides of the border, compounding the humanitarian crisis in the region.
