Netanyahu Confirms Approval Of Israel's Pager Blasts That Killed 40 Hezbollah Operatives In Lebanon: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that he approved the pager attacks in Lebanon, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of nearly 40 and injuries to 3,000 members of Iran-backed Hezbollah in September.

On Sunday (10 November), Netanyahu’s spokesperson, Omer Dostri, confirmed to news agency AFP that Netanyahu authorized the operation involving pager explosions in Hezbollah-dominated areas on 17 and 18 September.

Iran and Hezbollah attributed these explosions to Israel. The attacks caused severe injuries among Hezbollah members, with some losing fingers or eyesight.

Hezbollah condemned the attacks, calling them an "Israeli breach" of their communications, and pledged retaliation. The pagers were reportedly used by Hezbollah operatives to communicate undetected by Israeli tracking.

The blasts occurred just after Israel expanded its military objectives following Hamas’ 7 October attacks, stating it would include operations against Hezbollah, Hamas' ally, along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Lebanon recently lodged a complaint with the United Nations Labour Agency, describing the pager attacks as a "war crime." Israeli strikes have also killed numerous Hezbollah fighters, including notable leaders.

Last month, the Israeli army confirmed it had killed Hashem Safieddine, a potential successor to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a strike on southern Beirut.

On Thursday, Israel carried out additional airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, with one raid impacting an area near Lebanon’s only international airport, causing minor structural damage to nearby buildings, including facilities of Middle East Airlines.