Series of explosions spark Hezbollah war

On the afternoon of September 17, thousands of people in Lebanon had their pagers explode at the same time. As of yesterday, Lebanese authorities reported that at least 12 people were killed and more than 2,800 were injured, including Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani.

Reuters reported that the communications devices that exploded on the afternoon of September 18 in Lebanon were handheld walkie-talkies. Security sources and witnesses told the news agency that at least one of the explosions occurred near a funeral organized by Hezbollah for victims of the explosions a day earlier. According to initial information, the second explosion injured hundreds of people and killed at least three.

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Shocking case

Hezbollah and its allies have accused Israel of orchestrating the attack, but have not described details of their investigation. Western media have reported that the operation was a joint operation by the Mossad intelligence agency and the Israeli military, and may have been carefully planned for months.

To avoid Israeli surveillance, Hezbollah has switched to communicating via pagers instead of more advanced mobile devices, which its leader Hassan Nasrallah has described as “more dangerous than espionage.” Reuters, citing a senior security source in Lebanon, reported that Hezbollah had purchased 5,000 pagers from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, which were delivered this year. The devices were distributed to Hezbollah members and allied forces.

Ambulances take victims of the September 17 explosion to a hospital in Beirut

A circuit board and about 3 grams of explosives were placed next to the battery of the pagers, the source said. After receiving a signal, the devices vibrated, beeped several times and exploded. Many of the victims suffered injuries to their faces and hands, believed to have been reading messages. Others suffered injuries to their hips, where the devices were worn. Security analysts dismissed the theory that a cyberattack caused the lithium batteries in the devices to overheat and explode. Taiwan's Bureau of Economic Affairs said the devices used regular AAA batteries, according to Al-Jazeera.

The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that the devices had been rigged with explosives before arriving in Lebanon. Gold Apollo founder Hua Qingguang yesterday said the company was only a trademark and had no involvement in the production of the AR-924 model mentioned in the explosions.

Gold Apollo issued a statement confirming that BAC Consulting KFT in Budapest, Hungary, is the manufacturer and seller of the above model. "We only license the brand and are not involved in the design or production of this product," the Taiwanese company stated.

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War is near

Israel has yet to comment on the explosions in Lebanon, but the incident signals that the risk of war between Hezbollah and Israel is getting closer. The day before, Israel's security cabinet agreed to add a goal to the military campaign against Hamas: to return displaced people to their communities in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, which have been hit by near-daily Hezbollah attacks since late last year. In a meeting earlier this week with Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the time for diplomacy with Hezbollah was over and that only military action could bring the northerners home.

According to CNN, if Israel was indeed behind the September 17 action, it could be a sign of a larger attack to come, as it makes strategic sense to cause chaos and confusion for the enemy before a major operation. After the incident, Israeli military leaders held an emergency meeting to assess security, focusing on both offensive and defensive readiness on all fronts.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had two consecutive phone calls with his Israeli counterpart during the day, showing the seriousness of the situation. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller yesterday stated that Washington was not involved and had no prior knowledge of the incident in Lebanon.

US Secretary of State returns to the Middle East

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Egypt yesterday on a visit aimed at promoting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and bilateral relations. According to AFP, this is the diplomat's 10th trip to the Middle East since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out nearly a year ago. Mr. Blinken is not expected to go to Israel.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/loat-vu-no-cham-ngoi-chien-tranh-hezbollah-israel-185240918235722252.htm