Hezbollah pager explosions: Israel wanted to detonate devices later but was forced to act earlier. Know why

Israel allegedly carried out the pager explosions in Lebanon, killing nine people, while injuring thousands on Tuesday (Sep 17), much earlier than planned after concerns arose that some Hezbollah members had grown suspicious of the devices.

According to a report in Axios, the original Israeli plan was to detonate the devices when an all-out war was underway with the Iran-backed militant outfit.

However, when Tel Aviv got a whiff that its secret operation may have been uncovered, it took the call to prepone the plan and detonate the devices.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the go-ahead for the operation.

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"It was a use it or lose it moment," one US official aware of the operation told the publication.

White House was reportedly made aware of the operation minutes before the pagers started exploding. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called USSecretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and told him Israel was about to conduct an operation in Lebanon soon, but refused to give any specific details.

The pagers, reportedly manufactured by a Budapest-stationed BAC Consulting KFT BAC, based on the license of Taiwanese pager maker, Gold Apollo, were modified before being shipped to Lebanon.

The explosives were implanted near the battery with a remote activations switch, allowing for a coordinated detonation. Some reports claim that a beep was sent seconds before the attack, forcing the owners of the pagers to take them out, thereby injuring them more grievously.

Watch:Lebanon Hezbollah pagers explosion: Lebanese Information Minister Calls It 'An Israel Aggression'

Biggest security breach

According to the militant outfit, it was one ofthebiggest ‘security breaches’ the group has faced since the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

"Israel will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression," Hezbollah said.

Iranian state media IRNA reported that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was also injured in the explosions.

The attack has completely destroyed the telecommunication apparatus of Hezbollah, meaning the militant outfit might be at its weakest if Israel decides to escalate its military offensive in Lebanon.

Notably, a day after the pager explosions, a number of walkie-talkies also exploded in the region, leading to aspersions that Israel had more up its sleeve.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, 20 people were killed and more than 450 were injured on Wednesday in Beirut's suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.

(With inputs from agencies)

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