An attack of unprecedented sophistication, blamed on Israel, plunged Lebanon into chaos and panic on Tuesday, September 17. At 3:30 pm, the pagers belonging to hundreds of people who were out shopping, sitting in cafés or riding their scooters went off, reportedly after receiving a message. For several hours, a ballet of ambulances poured the wounded from Hezbollah strongholds into overwhelmed hospitals in Beirut, the south of the country and the Beqaa Valley. Victims' hands had been shredded, some were left disfigured and others had wounds in their groins or legs.
"At around 3:30 pm, several beepers exploded among employees of various Lebanon-based Hezbollah units and institutions," Hezbollah said in a statement. One of its officials, quoted by Reuters, acknowledged "the biggest security breach" the movement has ever experienced. According to a provisional assessment by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, nine people were killed and almost 2,800 injured, 200 of whom are in critical condition. Israel is "entirely responsible" for these explosions and will receive "fair punishment," Hezbollah threatened. Israel didn't comment. The Lebanese authorities denounced "a violation" of Lebanese security and "sovereignty."
Among the victims were an 8-year-old girl, killed by the explosion of her father's pager, and a son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar. The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was "superficially wounded" in the explosion of his pager, according to a statement from his embassy. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) also reported at least fourteen injuries in Syria.
"This is a huge security breach. If we estimate that Hezbollah's military wing has between 10,000 and 20,000 active members, that means at least 20% of them are wounded, which is huge. That's the number of wounded you get in the course of a war, not in a single attack," said Mohanad Hage Ali, a Hezbollah specialist at the Carnegie think tank in Beirut. The identities of hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, jealously guarded by the Shiite party, have been exposed. "This precise and far-reaching attack managed to break the ranks of the organization, to touch the heart of every family. It's a major breach that has shaken the group's security, confidence and stability, but I'm surprised that it wasn't followed by an operation against Hezbollah," the Lebanese expert continued.
This operation is part of a new rise in tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, who have been engaged in a war of attrition since the Shiite party began firing rockets into northern Israel in October 2023, in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Over 600 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli retaliatory fire, including 141 civilians, the rest being fighters from Lebanon-based Hezbollah and affiliated groups. On the Israeli side, 24 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed. On Tuesday morning, the Israeli government announced that the return of 60,000 displaced persons from the north of the country was now one of Israel's "war aims." The Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency, announced that it had foiled an "attempted" attack by Hezbollah on a former intelligence official, using a device that activated a mine from Lebanon.
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