Israel’s Mossad spy agency allegedly planted explosive material in Hezbollah pagers in Lebanon, causing coordinated blasts that killed at least nine people and wounded nearly 3,000. Lebanon’s government and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack, which targeted Hezbollah fighters who use pagers to avoid surveillance. Israeli and U.S. sources confirmed that Israel carried out the operation by hiding explosives in pagers imported into Lebanon from a Taiwanese firm, which denied involvement in the production of the pagers. The devices were reportedly modified to detonate when a coded message was sent to them. The attacks come amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah following Hamas’ attacks on Israel and targeted assassinations by Israel of senior Hezbollah commanders. Tens of thousands of Israelis near the Lebanon border have evacuated in response to the exchanges of fire, with Israel promising to ensure their safety before allowing them to return. The full extent of Israel’s involvement in the attacks on Hezbollah remains unclear, and the situation between the two sides is rapidly evolving.
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