Dozens of Hezbollah members reportedly injured by exploding pagers

[irisblue]

Source: BBC.com

David Gritten,BBC News

Dozens of members of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have reportedly been injured after handheld pagers they use to communicate exploded.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the incident took place in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group, and several other regions.

A Reuters journalist reported seeing 10 Hezbollah members bleeding from wounds in southern Beirut.

A Hezbollah official meanwhile told the news agency that the incident constituted the "biggest security breach yet".


entire article



Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7xnelvpepo

[GB_RN]

1. Oh, Darn.

Thoughts and prayers. NOT!

[irisblue]

3. Bulk buying of refurbished electronics for your troops might be penny wise pound foolish

[Beastly Boy]

9. Hezbollah was buying outdated devices to communicate out of fear of Israel's surveillance of the newer eqpt.

[joshcryer]

20. Pagers are one way communication so nearly impossible to track.

Fascinating how they were able to distribute thousands of modified pagers to them though!

[Beastly Boy]

35. I suspect it involved months long planning that included

manufacturing the pagers, or their distribution, or both.

[irisblue]

2. In 2016 the TV show Person of Interest did an episode on nonremovable software

in computer software of all types.[BSOD-Blue Screen of Death]

I am mildly surprised that it just took so long for one military group to do this to another military group publicly.

I do recall seeing a map of Apple watch wearers/fit bit wearers during the Afghanistan war with troops running routes, I assumed that the US Military stopped that on realizing what a dangerous map that was

With the Internet of Things often available on our smart phones, a talented hacker could lock domestic violence survivors in their homes. Research & articles are being published on this fact.


1-Smart, Internet-connected devices—the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT)—pose significant threats to victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV). IoT systems have been used to abuse, harass, monitor, intimidate, and gaslight victim-survivors.Jan 2, 2024
https://journals.sagepub.com › doi


2-https://www.californialawreview.org/print/a-domestic-violence-dystopia-abuse-via-the-internet-of-things-and-remedies-under-current-law
Safeguarding the “Internet of Things” for Victim-Survivors of Domestic and ..

[irisblue]

4. Reuters is now reporting 1000+ people injured

BEIRUT, Sept 17 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the "biggest security breach" the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza war erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.


snip-:Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding. In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area"

Source- https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/dozens-hezbollah-members-wounded-lebanon-when-pagers-exploded-sources-witnesses-2024-09-17/

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. What evil plot is Israel doing now? Making pagers explode on those poor, freedom fighting Hezbollah members

This is just another act of brutal, racist genocide committed by that rogue apartheid state!

[mcar]

27. Yes, poor, poor Hezbollah

Just innocent freedom fighters minding their own business.

[Ray Bruns]

6. Hey, these things happen.

[ck4829]

7. This makes it funny that right-wingers think we have a "deep state" that sends lone gunmen after Trump

When a push of a button could do the job, like what happened with Hezbollah's fighters.

[irisblue]

8. From AP twitter, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon was injured by a pager explosion

Link to tweet

from the article cited in the tweet..."Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, close to the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, said on its Telegram channel that Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon, has a superficial injury and is under observation at a hospital. Another semi-official Mehr news agency, also on its Telegram channel, reported that Amani was wounded by a pager explosion."

[rollin74]

10. Wall Street Journal is reporting that these pagers were part of new shipment received by Hezbollah is recent days

[Beastly Boy]

11. genocide or ethnic cleansing?

Sorry, couldn't resist the sarcasm.

But seriously, this is something new. It appears that regular armed forces are poised to widely adopt asymmetric warfare methods not covered by the Geneva Conventions in addition to conventional warfare which is covered.

I would imagine that this will require extensive amendments to the Geneva Conventions, to cover all types of asymmetric warfare which has lately become a favorite among various terrorist groups in their large scale operations.

[irisblue]

13. Stuxnet was deployed in 2010, so computer malwear/virus is not new, this was just

widely deployed& publicized today.

[EX500rider]

24. Yeah but that was a software hack, this is a hardware hack

I assume much harder to pull off

[Beastly Boy]

34. Cyber warfare likely goes back pre-2010.

There were reports of Russia's cyber attacks on the US as early as 1999. I am not even sure that remotely exploding pagers can be classified as a cyber attack, and remote detonations using an electrical spark date back to WW1.

What I think is fundamentally new in this instance is the the massiveness of a cyber attack combined with targeting enemy combatants specifically as is the case in conventional warfare.

The reason I brought up the Geneva Conventions is because it addresses conventional warfare in great detail, while leaving cyber warfare deliberately unaddressed. As far as I am aware, the Conventions do not address how cyber weapons apply to combatants, which seems to be the case in the present situation.

[rollin74]

12. 8 dead and 2,750 injured now

according to Lebanon's Health Minister

200 injured are in critical condition according to n12 News Israel

[maxsolomon]

14. Crimony, Mossad.

That's some skullduggery.

[sarisataka]

15. What an odd series of coincidences

to have so many pagers explode on the same day...

[rollin74]

23. Indeed. If I were Hezbollah I'd be asking for a refund from the manufacturer

[EX500rider]

25. Yes probably poorly made in China and they overcharged them right LOL

[onandup]

16. Seems like a reckless provocation

I'll be interested to find out how many casualties were actually fighters.

[former9thward]

17. I doubt ordinary people are wearing Hezbollah pagers.

[onandup]

19. Not sure what you mean by a "Hezbollah pager"

We've yet to learn how these were targeted, or if they were targeted. Let's see how many casualties were Hezbollah fighters.

[EX500rider]

28. Hezbolla was worried about phone hacks so they issued all their fighters pagers

I doubt many non-affiliated civilians would be using pagers these days.

And of course Hezbollah is going to act like they were all civilian casualties, no downside of them doing that, just the sympathy vote from gullible westerners and people are already looking for things to be outraged about concerning Israel

[Coventina]

42. These pagers were purchased by Hezbollah and distributed to their members.

So, this was a very targeted attack.

[sarisataka]

18. Is everything Israel does a provocation

up to and including existing?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

32. With some..........absolutely. nt

[maxsolomon]

21. Is there an acceptable proportion?

9/10?

You're not going to get that information from Hezbollah and they're the only ones that could know.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

30. You forgot this:

right?
Or you're serious, so, if that's the case, then this applies.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

31. And there it is.

I was wondering how long it would take.

[Beastly Boy]

36. I would guess 99.99% or better.

All the information that is available today suggests only Hezbollah operatives had access to these pagers.

I will concede, though, a few may have been commandeered by armed Hamas operatives.

[EllieBC]

39. They also think Israel existing

is provocation. Some members of this board certainly do.

[AloeVera]

41. Of course it is.

But I see how expressing that opinion will get you flamed. Next, you'll be called a Hamas lover and terrorist supporter and then I'll welcome you to the club!

But seriously, to deny this was a provocation is, well...whatever.

Now comes retaliation. Just in time for the ground invasion and aerial assault by Israel which was already in the works.

I think it was done for 2 reasons. One, as others have mentioned, knock-out of communications in advance of an invasion and "softening up" of capacity. Two, to provide the pretext - after Hezbollah retaliation - for the ground invasion. As in " See, we have no choice but to invade". Meanwhile, the plans and decision to invade have already been made.

So it's a dishonest provocation in pursuit of a larger war. Frightening and despicable.

Of course no one mentions that there is already a solution to stop the rockets and return Israelis to their homes. It is of course a ceasefire in Gaza. But Netanyahu and his lunatic coalition do not want peace, only a big piece of Gaza and reoccupation of southern Lebanon. Maybe draw in the U.S. just in time for an October Surprise.

Sheer lunacy.

[Beastly Boy]

43. If this is of course a provocation, and if this is of course a provocation by Israel,

what exactly is Israel trying to provoke Hezbollah into doing?

More rockets fired at Israel's civilians? Hezbollah done that, so Israel is too late with provoking that.

Indiscriminately killing children? Hezbollah done that too, so Israel can't possibly provoke them into doing what they had already done.

Pledge to destroy Israel? Well, Hezbollah doesn't require a provocation for that, they do it with glee and pleasure absent of any provocation.

So what exactly does Israel intend to provoke Hamas into doing that they have not already done?...

Crickets.

No, this was not a provocation, it was an opening salvo, long overdue.

If you hadn't noticed, Hezbollah had been firing rockets into Israel since before Oct. 7, no provocation required, thank you. 100,000 Israeli civilians had been displaced. THAT was the provocation. A provocation that required immediate retaliation which Israel delayed for too long. And now, nearly a year after being provoked, Israel has had enough. Israel wants its land back, free of harassment from Hezbollah.

In the face of Hezbollah's continued belligerence, Israel has taken the first step. And it was spectacular. A brigade's worth of Hezbollah militants taken out of commission in a matter of minutes, without a single IDF soldier crossing the border. I can see how this might upset you and your hopelessly contrived narrative.

And what is your solution to stop Hezbollah rockets from being fired into Israel? Oh yeah, a cease fire that Hamas has no intention of signing or honoring in exchange for the hostages that Hamas is holding at gunpoint. As if a cease fire with Hamas ever stopped Hezbollah from firing rockets into Israel before.

Brilliant!

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

22. Pager blasts also reported now in Syria

This would appear to be a rapidly escalating story. I'm tracking at The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/17/middle-east-crisis-live-netanyahu-expands-gaza-war-aims-blinken-heads-to-egypt
I'm really curious to know how Israel may have rigged pagers headed to market in neighboring Arab nations, and why they exploded today.

[mcar]

26. Gee, what a shame.

[Think. Again.]

29. Not surprising...

...considering Isreal is the creator and distributor of the Pegasus spyware.

[Mysterian]

33. LMAO!

There's a hezbollah tech purchaser in a bit of hot water.

[rollin74]

37. lol

Link to tweet

[EllieBC]

38. Tragic.

Anyway. Hockey’s just about back!

[prodigitalson]

40. they still make pagers?

[Zorro]

44. Fruit of the Boom

Hezbollah's official brand of underwear.