Explosive Pagers Kill 9 and Injure Thousands in Alleged Mossad Operation Against Hezbollah

A man is injured after his pager exploded in Beirut on Sept 17, 2024.

On Tuesday, explosive-rigged pagers injured thousands of Hezbollah fighters across Lebanon, reportedly triggered by a fake message impersonating the group's leadership.

The message, which appeared to come from Hezbollah’s top brass, was sent to fighters’ new pagers at 3:30 p.m. However, according to officials who spoke to The New York Times, the message was a covert detonation signal that set off hidden explosives within the devices.

A person is carried on a stretcher outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center as people, including Hezbollah terrorists, were wounded and killed when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon on Sept. 17, 2024.

Sources told Sky News Arabia that the message caused the pagers' batteries to overheat, igniting the explosives. The pagers, allegedly rigged by Israel’s Mossad, beeped before exploding. At least nine people were killed, including eight Hezbollah fighters and an 8-year-old girl, while approximately 2,800 others were injured. Victims suffered horrific injuries, including maimed faces and severed limbs, as the devices exploded in their pockets, bags, and hands.

A man's bag explodes in a supermarket in Beirut, Lebanon September 17, 2024 in this screen grab from a video obtained from social media.

Israel is suspected of carrying out the complex operation, reportedly designed to cripple Hezbollah’s communication network. The group had recently switched to pagers, following a directive from its leader to avoid Israeli surveillance. Mossad allegedly intercepted a shipment of Taiwanese-made pagers, planting small amounts of high explosives and a remote trigger switch, according to The Times and Sky News Arabia.

The Israeli government has not commented on the incident or its involvement.