Israel conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday (September 19), while claiming to have thwarted an assassination plot led by Iran. This came after both pagers exploded in a blast simultaneous with Hizbullah’s walkie-talkies in southern Lebanon two days prior, causing chaos and residents to abandon cellphone usage in fear.
Mustafa Sibal on the streets near downtown Beirut told Reuters, “This is not small. This is war. Who can guarantee the safety of their phones now? When I heard about what happened yesterday, I left my phone on the motorcycle and walked away.”
Israel has not directly commented on the pager and walkie-talkie explosion incidents.
Israel has indicated that its conflict with Hizbullah, like the war with Palestinian militant group Hamas, is part of a broader regional confrontation with Iran, which supports these two groups as well as armed movements in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
Lebanon’s state media reported on Thursday that the sound of distant roaring over Beirut was reportedly from Israeli warplanes breaking the sound barrier, a sound that has become more frequent in recent months.
Israeli warplanes attacked villages in southern Lebanon overnight. Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV reported that airstrikes resumed near the border just after noon on Thursday.
Following the explosions of thousands of pagers used by Hizbullah members simultaneous and walkie-talkies in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (September 17), which left dozens dead and thousands injured, the tension in the Middle East escalated.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati posted on X, urging the UN Security Council to take a firm stance against Israel’s “aggression” and “tech war” on his country. Reports indicated that the thousands of pagers specially equipped to evade phone surveillance were reportedly rigged with explosives at the time of acquisition.
Israel has yet to directly comment on the pager and walkie-talkie explosion incidents, but multiple security sources have indicated that the attacks were carried out by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
Israel’s security forces announced on Thursday that an Israeli businessman was arrested last month for attending at least two meetings held in Iran to discuss the assassination plans of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister, or the head of Israel’s Security Agency (Shin Bet).
Last week, the Security Agency revealed a plot to assassinate former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon by Hizbullah.
Israel has been accused of carrying out assassination operations in Tehran in July, resulting in the killing of Hamas leaders and a senior Hizbullah commander in the suburbs of Beirut.
Since Hamas’s cross-border attack on Israel on October 7 last year, leading to Israel’s Gaza war response, Hizbullah has been engaging almost daily in clashes with the Israeli military to support ally Hamas. The violence has escalated over 11 months with thousands forced to evacuate on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border. Netanyahu pledged on Wednesday to “safely return evacuated Israelis home.”
Israel’s military stated that airstrikes targeted Hizbullah sites in southern Lebanon overnight, including Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun, Kfarkela villages, and a weapons storage facility in the Khyam region.
Israeli media reported that Lebanon launched anti-tank missile attacks, injuring several Israeli civilians, though there has been no official confirmation.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Wednesday that the war is entering a new phase with more resources and military units being diverted to the northern border.
According to Israeli officials, troops deployed there include the 98th Division, an elite force composed of commandos and paratroopers that have been active in Gaza.
Despite the recent events, the spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, Andrea Tenenti, stated that there hasn’t been much change in the border situation “from the perspective of the fighting between the two sides.”
“The situation worsened last week, and this week it is roughly the same,” spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Reuters. “The fighting continues, which is still a cause for concern.”