Shockwaves regarding Tuesday's horrific series of pager explosions in Lebanon, which killed 12 people and injured over 2,700, had hardly subsided when Wednesday saw a second wave of device blasts in the country, killing nine people and wounding more than 300. According to Lebanese state media, walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members blew up in Beirut, with reports of similar blasts in southern and eastern Lebanon. Lebanon’s National News Agency also said that in two incidents, solar panel systems also exploded. It is not just the scale of the violence that is horrifying, but the method itself -- these are calculated attacks exploiting everyday devices to target civilians. The attacks have been attributed by Middle-East analysts to Israel and come a day after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu updated war goals and added the return of residents to northern Israel to them. Since October 7, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon are at an all-time high. But this latest attack signals a terrifying new chapter in Israel’s war playbook -- one that crosses dangerous ethical and legal boundaries. Reports published in the international media suggest that Israel tampered with pagers being transported from Taiwan to Lebanon, turning them into deadly weapons. This echoes tactics previously attributed to the US National Security Agency (NSA), which, as revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013, intercepted commercial shipments to spy on recipients. This not only reveals vulnerabilities in global trade but also underscores the impunity with which Israel operates in sovereign nations' affairs.
The timing and context of the attack make it even more chilling. The explosions occurred in crowded markets and busy streets, where civilians were simply going about their daily lives. Among the victims was an eight-year-old girl. For over a year now, we have seen Israel flexing its military might to win a war it could have avoided had it opted for dialogue. A year later and with more than 40,000 Palestinians martyred, there is little to no hope for a ceasefire and end to violence. Israel has not only resisted ceasefire attempts but has actively undermined them. The killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, far from Israel’s borders, points to the settler state's broader strategy of destabilizing the entire region rather than seeking peace.
This madness needs to be reined in. Israel has been given a green signal to do whatever it wants because it apparently has the right to defend itself. While superpowers urge restraint from other nations, they turn a blind eye to Israel’s repeated acts of violence and sabotage. How far should Israel be allowed to continue poking the bear and then crying ‘antisemitism’ when there is a reaction? The Lebanon attack should worry everyone. We live in an increasingly interconnected world, where digital devices are integral to our lives. If these devices can be turned into weapons, no one is safe. Or are the lives of people in the Middle Eastern region simply dispensable? How much more of its humanity is the world ready to lose at the hands of a genocidal state?