Mass Pager Attacks Against Hezbollah: ‘Unprecedented Blow,’ Unclear Road Ahead

EXPERT INTERVIEW — Even by the standards of Mideast intrigue and covert operations, what happened Tuesday afternoon in Lebanon was startling: for roughly an hour, beginning at 3:45 pm local time, hundreds of paging devices exploded, killing at least 9 people and wounding more than 2700 others. 

The coordinated attack targeted members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and bore the hallmarks of an Israeli operation. Hezbollah said Israel was “fully responsible” and would receive “its fair punishment” for the blasts. And as has been the case with recent attacks in Iran and Lebanon, Israel neither claimed nor denied responsibility.