In Lebanon, several pagers used by Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, exploded, causing the deaths of at least nine people, including the Iranian ambassador, and injuring thousands. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack, calling it a “criminal act” and indicating plans for retaliation.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also accused Israel, labeling the incident a severe breach of the nation’s security. Israel has yet to respond to these allegations, while the U.S. has distanced itself from the event. Clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have escalated since the Gaza war in October 2023, fueling concerns about growing regional tensions.
Hezbollah, avoiding mobile phones due to fears of Israeli hacking, recently switched to using pagers for communication. The explosions are believed to have originated from new pagers that Hezbollah members began using earlier this year.
Some experts suggest these pagers may have been tampered with, containing small amounts of explosives activated by a remote signal.
Security analysts, including former CIA operatives, suggest this could be a sophisticated supply chain attack, a rare and complex tactic involving hardware manipulation. Analysts argue this might be part of an ongoing Israeli cyber campaign against Hezbollah.
While Israel is not formally accused, this incident is being seen as a major cyber breach with strategic implications for Hezbollah’s operations in the region.