Lebanon: At least 32 people, including two children, were killed and thousands injured, many seriously, after dramatic explosions at communications equipment, some of which were used by the armed group Hezbollah, across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday. were injured.
In the latest blasts on Wednesday, 20 people were killed and at least 450 injured when a walkie-talkie exploded, according to Lebanon's health ministry.
The blasts occurred around a large crowd gathered for the funerals of four victims of simultaneous pager blasts on Tuesday that killed at least 12 people and injured nearly 3,000.
Two firms based in Taiwan and Hungary have been accused in media reports of making the pager, both of which have denied responsibility, with the Taiwanese government saying that various parts of the pager were not from Taiwan.
Economy Minister Kuo Jeh-hui said:
"The Pagers components are made of low-level IC and batteries, I can say with certainty that they were not made in our Country [{Taiwan},"
How did the attacks unfold?
Lebanon's capital Beirut and several other areas of the country on Tuesday at around 15:30 local time (13:30 BST) are hitten by the first round of explosions.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke coming out of people's pockets, before seeing small explosions similar to fireworks and gunshots.
The New York Times, citing US officials, said that pagers received messages before the explosion that appeared to come from Hezbollah's leadership. The oulet reported, the messages instead appeared to trigger the devices.
Reuters news agency reported that explosions continued for about an hour after the initial explosions.
After explosion soon, large numbers of people began reaching near at hospitals in Lebanon, with witnesses reporting mass confusion in emergency departments.
According to a security source who spoke to news agency Reuters, reports indicate that it was walkie-talkies that were blown up, devices purchased by Hezbollah five months ago.
At least one explosion occurred near a funeral held in Beirut for some victims of Tuesday's attack, causing panic among people gathered near the procession.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the blasts, with the group telling Al Jazeera that it "holds the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal attack that also targeted civilians." Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
The shocking incident raised many questions. Many people were left wondering how the pager could be altered to cause such destruction.
What is Pagers and How it is Run?
Pager is a wireless communications device that adopt only radio signals from short- or long-range paging networks.
Pagers are also able to operate without cell service or Wi-Fi, making them especially reliable for their main users: hospital staff.
Pagers are most commonly used in hospitals, over the past 25 years, with a 2017 BMJ study finding that pagers have remained the top form of communication in hospitals despite the advent of new technology. Doctors and nurses use these devices to send updates or patient information to other members of the hospital staff without fear of Internet problems often.
The pagers that exploded in Lebanon were made to look like they were gold Apollo's AR-924 pagers, but The New York Times reported that they were actually made by Israeli intelligence officers. Gold Apollo pagers can receive messages at a frequency of 450 to 470 MHz, which can ensure communication from a distance of approximately 36 miles. The AR-924 model is alphanumeric model, it's meaning that it can send messages containing numbers and letters. Like many other pagers device, the AR-924 is a one-way device, meaning it is able to only recieve message and unable to send messages.
Why was Hezbollah using pagers?
The use of pagers has become increasingly common for Hezbollah members. The New York Times, citing unnamed officials, reported that the group ordered more than 3,000 pagers from Gold Apollo.
Professor and regional security expert Amer Al Sabail told The New York Times that earlier this year the group shifted from cellphones to pagers in an effort to avoid having their communications intercepted by Israel
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