“Whoever received a new doorbell, throw it away,” said a voice message circulated among Hezbollah members, as thousands of people were injured across Lebanon on Tuesday when electronic doorbells used by the militant group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously at around 3:30 p.m., in an unprecedented attack with Israel the prime suspect, experts said, which likely sabotaged the devices before they were delivered.
At least 2,800 people were injured across the country, most with injuries to their faces, hands or stomachs, Health Minister Firas Abyad said. At least nine people were killed.
Losses were reported in Beirut, cities in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, the coastal city of Tyre and the north of the country.
The Ministry of Public Health said hospitals had been placed on “maximum alert” and asked “all citizens who own wireless communication devices to stay away from them”.
The UN Security Management System has advised its personnel in Lebanon to turn off VHF devices and remove all batteries until further notice, temporarily shutting down the agency’s radio network.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have risen following months of attacks on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in both countries.
Israeli officials said this week that the military was ready to act against Hezbollah,
Emily Harding, associate director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that while much remains unknown, it is possible that Israel has penetrated the supply chain used by Hezbollah for its bombers and found a way to trap them.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have risen following months of attacks on the Lebanese-Israeli border. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in both countries.
Israeli officials said this week that the military is ready to act against Hezbollah, signaling that diplomatic efforts to avert an all-out war have come full circle.
The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment Tuesday on whether it was responsible for the explosions.
Emily Harding, associate director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that while many details remain unknown, it is possible that Israel has penetrated the supply chain used by Hezbollah for its bombers, finding a way to corner them with a physical presence.
Dmitri Alperovich, president of the Silverado Policy Accelerator, a national security think tank, said: “This appears to be perhaps the most extensive physical attack on the supply chain in history – replacing imported devices with those containing explosives and disabling them all at once through some sort of command and control channel.”