Netanyahu’s Office Confirms He Ordered the September Pager Blasts in Lebanon

Last updated on November 11th, 2024 at 01:47 pm

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has confirmed Israel was responsible for a wave of blasts impacting personal electronic devices across Lebanon in September.

The blasts, which effected more than 3,000 devices, mostly pagers, began on Sept. 17 and carried on into a second day on Sept. 18. In total, around 40 people were killed and more than 3,500 more  were injured across the two days of attacks. While the blasts appeared to target personal electronic devices that were being used by members of Hezbollah, as many as 12 of those killed appear to have been civilians, including at least two children.

The wave of pager blasts occurred amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government, Hezbollah, and other international observers quickly concluded Israel was behind the blasts, but the Israeli government hadn’t officially claimed responsibility until now.

In a statement he shared with various media outlets on Monday, Nov. 11, Netanyahu spokesman Omer Dostri said Netanyahu had ordered the pager blasts.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded blows for more than a year. The current fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border began when Hezbollah launched rockets on Israeli-controlled areas of the disputed Golan Heights on Oct. 8, 2023, just hours after Hamas carried out widespread attacks across southern Israel. The Israeli military has returned fire across the border since then, and the fighting has continued to escalate over the past year.

The Sept. 17 and 18 pager blasts precipitated a heavier campaign of Israeli airstrikes throughout Lebanon that targeted numerous high-ranking Hezbollah leaders. The pager attacks also came in advance of an Israeli cross-border assault into Lebanon, which began on Oct. 1 and has continued since.

On Sunday Nov. 10, the Times of Israel reported Netanyahu had told his cabinet members, “The pager operation and the elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah were carried out despite the opposition of senior officials in the defense establishment and those responsible for them in the political echelon.”

The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu’s remarks about “senior officials” were in reference to Yoav Gallant, who had been serving as Israel’s defense minister until Netanyahu ordered his ouster on Nov. 5.