Pager explosion in Lebanon: dead, injured, areas… five figures to understand the tragedy

On September 17, 2024, the simultaneous explosion of dozens of pagers in Lebanon resulted in the death of nine people and thousands of injuries. In the aftermath of the tragedy, we explain everything in five figures.

Some are talking about an attack, others are talking about an accident. What is certain is that the explosion of these dozens of pagers was dramatic for hundreds of people, explains L’Orient-Le-Jour, a leading media outlet in the country.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced a heavy toll on Tuesday, and videos of the events were quickly released. The pagers are seen causing explosions that can reach several meters in circumference.

15 h 30

That is the time when "a number of message-receiving devices known as pagers belonging to a number of workers in various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded" Tuesday, the Shiite movement said.

“These explosions, the causes of which are still unknown, caused the martyrdom of a young girl and two brothers, as well as various injuries to a large number of people”, the press release explains.

Nine deaths

By the end of the day, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced the deaths of nine people. Among them were two young girls, one of whom was 10 years old. The two sons of a Hezbollah MP also lost their lives.

Hezbollah accuses Israel

The Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah has claimed Tuesday that Israel was “fully responsible” for the simultaneous explosion of its members' pagers in Lebanon.

In a statement, the powerful pro-Iranian party assured that Israel would “receive its just punishment” &agrave the aftermath of "this criminal aggression".

3 000 injured

In just a few minutes, the simultaneous explosions of the beepers injured nearly 3,000 people. Most of the victims were in Beirut, particularly in the south of the city, where several Hezbollah factions are based.

In addition, the Iranian ambassador to Beirut was also hit, according to Iranian state television. However, “the ambassador's injury is superficial”, the channel specifies.

Dozens of pagers

The exact number of pagers that exploded yesterday is still unknown. On the other hand, it would seem that a significant number of these devices are deployed within the Shiite group, which has between 30,000 and 50,000 members.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, pagers have exploded as far as Syria. The organization reports 14 injured in the country.

An unprecedented measure in 2023

Because the Pagers are a popular means of communication for Hezbollah. Since 2023, the movement has banned its members from carrying their cell phones into combat, so these small boxes are used to send messages.

Rudimental, they seem to be more easily able to escape computer hacking. They generally operate using batteries or batteries.