Israel has claimed responsibility 54 days after multiple blasts on pagers (communication devices) of Hezbollah members in Lebanon on September 17. Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted on Sunday that he had authorized the attack out of concern for Israel's security.
PM Netanyahu confirmed at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that he had ordered the pager attack in Lebanon, Netanyahu's spokesman Omar Dosti told news agency AFP. However, Omar did not elaborate on the attack.
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu said the Defense Agency and senior officials were against the pager attack and the operation to kill Nasrallah, then head of Hezbollah. Despite protests, I gave direct orders for the attack.
A pager blast on September 17 and a walkie-talkie attack on September 18 killed around 40 people linked to Hezbollah. More than three thousand people have also been injured. On September 27, after giving a speech at the UN, Netanyahu authorized an 80-ton bomb attack on Hezbollah's headquarters in Lebanon from his hotel room. 20 hours later Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah's death.
2 images of pager attack…
On September 17, people's pagers exploded simultaneously in several locations in Lebanon.
A man was injured and fell on the road when a pager kept in his pants pocket exploded.
Hezbollah provided pagers to its members
Pagers were popular before mobile phones. Later its use gradually decreased. However it is still being used in Lebanon.
A pager is a wireless device used to send and receive messages. It usually comes with a small screen and a limited keypad. With its help, messages or alerts can be received quickly.
According to reports, the pagers that caused the explosion were recently provided by Hezbollah for use by its members. After the Gaza war began, Hezbollah banned its members from using mobile phones. This advice was given to avoid any possible attack by Israel.
In July, Hassan Nasrallah asked people to stop using mobile devices and CCTV because he feared the Israeli agency could hack them.
Israel had known Nasrallah's location for months
According to the New York Times, Israeli leaders had been aware of Nasrallah's location for several months. They had planned to attack him a week in advance. In fact, Israeli officials feared that Nasrallah would shift to another location within days.
In such a situation they had very little time to attack them. Following this, on September 27 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after giving a speech at the UN, authorized an attack on Hezbollah's headquarters from his hotel room.
What is Hezbollah?
The word Hezbollah means the party of God. The organization describes itself as a Shia Islamic political, military and social organization. Hezbollah is a powerful group in Lebanon. America and many countries have declared it a terrorist organization.
It was built with the help of Iran during Israel's occupation of Lebanon in the early 1980s. It slowly began to take root during the resurgence of Islam in Lebanon in the 1960s-70s.
Thus, Hamas is a Sunni Palestinian organization, while Hezbollah is a Shiite Lebanese party supported by Iran, but both organizations remain united on the issue of Israel. Between 2020 and 2023, both groups opposed the agreement between the UAE and Bahrain with Israel.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
