Today's attack on Hezbollah delivered an unprecedented blow.
"It felt like a science-fiction film," a Lebanese friend told me. At exactly 3:30 p.m. today, pagers across Lebanon exploded, leaving horrific wounds on the heads, hands, and hips of their owners.
The attack's significance became apparent quickly: the pagers were used by Hezbollah members, the militant group engaged in an undeclared war with Israel since October. Israel has employed digital technologies to target Hezbollah for months, but today’s assault was unprecedented. It injured thousands of fighters, potentially crippling Hezbollah's ability to respond if a broader conflict arises. Moreover, it exposed the identities of Hezbollah members, undermining the group's efforts to maintain anonymity.
In a nation long accustomed to war, the intimate nature of this attack was especially disturbing. Video clips from around Lebanon captured scenes of daily life transforming into chaos. In one video, a man in a blue baseball cap is selecting plums at a market when a sudden explosion sends him screaming to the floor. Another clip shows a woman at a cash register when the man in front of her is violently thrown to the ground.
Lebanon’s hospitals were overwhelmed, with bleeding victims laid out in corridors and on floors. The health ministry reported nine deaths and 2,750 injuries, but with many in critical condition, the death toll is expected to rise. Hezbollah confirmed at least six of its members were among the dead.
Amal Saad, a Lebanese analyst and longtime observer of Hezbollah, said the group's supporters were “extremely demoralized” by the attack. In February, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah had urged followers to stop using cell phones, prompting many to switch to pagers, which were thought to be safer. Historically, Hezbollah has relied on a simple communications network, including pagers, during conflicts.
Now, many Lebanese fear this pager attack may be the precursor to full-scale war. Israeli officials have warned for months that Hezbollah’s rocket strikes, which have displaced around 20,000 Israelis in the north, are intolerable, and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, stated yesterday that with diplomacy fading, military action might be inevitable.
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