Where and when?
Around 15:30 local time, large quantities of pagers suddenly exploded, allegedly belonging to members of the extremist Islamist Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. The explosions occurred simultaneously in several areas of Lebanon, as well as in Syria. However, the majority took place in areas where Hezbollah has strongholds, such as in Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
In many places, the explosions occurred in public areas during the afternoon rush, when many people were buying groceries, sitting in cafes, or caught in traffic. AP photographers report bloody scenes, panic-stricken people, and overcrowded hospitals.
.
How many are dead and injured?
Lebanon's Health Department reports that nine people have been killed. According to sources for AFP, two of the dead are sons of parliament members from Hezbollah's political wing. The sources also report that one of the dead is a young girl who was the daughter of a Hezbollah member.
Among the injured is also Iran's ambassador to Lebanon.
According to Lebanon's Health Minister, a total of 2,750 people have been injured, with around 200 seriously.
.
Why pagers?
After the outbreak of war between Palestinian Hamas and Israel last year, Hezbollah, following a call from leader Hassan Nasrallah, has increasingly abandoned smartphones in favor of more old-fashioned pagers. In this way, they have hoped to avoid surveillance and tracking, primarily from Israel.
The Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo claims that the manipulated pagers did not come from them, but from a company in Europe that had the right to use the company's brand: BAC, based in Budapest, Hungary.
.
How did the explosions occur?
According to Elijah J Magnier, a Brussels-based political risk analyst who AFP interviewed and who has spoken to Hezbollah members whose pagers did not explode, a false message was sent to the pagers. When the pagers began beeping and vibrating, the holders pressed the buttons to stop the signals. Then the explosions occurred due to a small amount of explosives placed inside the pagers.
.
Who is behind the attack?
Hezbollah accuses Israel's intelligence service Mossad of having hidden explosives in the pagers early in the production chain, before the pagers reached Lebanon.
Israel has not publicly commented on the attack.
Since the war in Gaza broke out last autumn, Israel and Hezbollah have attacked each other on a daily basis.
