GUWAHATI: At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured in Lebanon and parts of Syria after hundreds of handheld pagers used for communication exploded on Tuesday, September 17.
ALSO READ: Jammu And Kashmir’s First Assembly Elections As Union Territory Get Underway
The blasts, which occurred across busy streets, shops, and homes, primarily affected members of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia militant group.
The affected pagers were reportedly a new model introduced by Hezbollah in recent months. The explosions began around 3:45 PM local time and continued for about an hour.
Initial reports have suggested possible involvement by Israel’s Mossad spy agency, with claims that explosives were planted inside 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah earlier this year.
Witnesses on the scene described moments of panic and chaos as emergency services rushed the wounded to hospitals across Beirut and southern Lebanon.
What are Pagers?
Pagers, also known as "beepers," were widely used before mobile phones became popular. These small devices receive short messages via radio frequency. It was a communication tool for professionals like doctors, journalists, and emergency responders.