IDF/Mossad pager operation kills nine Hezbollah, injures nearly 2800 in Lebanon - 2 stories

 

Israel behind Lebanon pager attack in

joint Mossad-IDF operation

From CNN’s Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv

The operation, which left thousands injured across Lebanon, was the result of a joint operation between Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, and the Israeli military.

Israel placed explosive material in a batch of Taiwanese-made pagers which were imported into Lebanon and destined for Hezbollah, the New York Times reported, citing American and other officials briefed on the operation.

How it happened: The explosives were planted next to the battery in each pager, and a switch embedded to detonate them remotely, according to the New York Times. The devices detonated simultaneously after receiving a message on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 9 people and injuring more than 2,800 — including at least 170 of whom were in critical condition, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the attack. Israel has not commented.

"There was blood on the roads."

Eyewitnesses describe carnage in Beirut

following pager explosions

From Mohammed Hanoun

Eyewitnesses have described to CNN how people lay injured in the streets of the Lebanese capital following the deadly pager explosions on Tuesday.  

One witness, who spoke to CNN outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center and asked not to be named citing fears for his safety, described going outside in a southern Beirut suburb after reading about the explosions online. 

“We went out to the streets, and we found the suburb as if it was a zombie city,” he said. Injured people were lying scattered on the roads, he said, adding that some of his friends were among the wounded.  

Another witness, who also asked not to be named over fears for his safety, said he had been driving to work when he saw Red Cross ambulances and people lying on the ground. 

“We were surprised that there were a lot of people … there was blood on the roads and people were being transported in ambulances to the hospital. But we did not know what was happening,” he said. 

The second witness said he had gone to a hospital to visit a friend who had been carrying one of the pagers when it exploded. 

“This device was not only in the hands of people who belong to [Hezbollah], but in the hands of all people. There were people working in the security field who were using that device and they were also hurt,” he added. 

If the shoe was on the other foot, there would be dancing in the streets. Hezbollah, has Hamas to thank for this.