Pager explosions injure hundreds of Hezbollah members in alleged cyberattack

The News

Hundreds of Hezbollah members in Lebanon were injured after multiple pagers, a form of personal wireless communication device, exploded Tuesday, a a member of Hezbollah’s media office said. Hezbollah, an Iran and Hamas-aligned militia, alleged the pagers were targeted in a cyberattack.

The official confirmed with Semafor that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was injured, adding that some pagers had also reportedly exploded in Syria.

The total number of injuries was over 1,000, the country’s health ministry said.

The explosions appeared to be concentrated in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley in as well as eastern Lebanon, and a southern suburb of Beirut, the Red Cross said, both known Hezbollah strongholds.

A Hezbollah official told Al Jazeera the incident was the “biggest security breach” the Iran-backed militia had experienced since the Israel-Hamas war began following the Oct. 7 attack. Israel has not commented on the incident.

Hezbollah had previously asked fighters to stop using smartphones, claiming Israel has the technology to infiltrate and penetrate those devices, Al Jazeera reported.