In a scene straight out of Black Mirror or some speculative fiction novel, thousands of pagers across Lebanon simultaneously exploded yesterday, killing at least 9 people (including a young girl) and wounding over 2,700 others.
In the ongoing horror story that is the Middle East, this is one of the most dramatic and horrifying incidents yet. Israel has not yet owned up to the attack, but who else can we look to?
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah switched to using 1970s-style pagers (aka "beepers") for communications because it was too easy for Israel to trace cellphone calls and users. However, according to the New York Times at least, explosive material was hidden in the Taiwan-made (or possibly Hungary-made and Israeli-owned) Gold Apollo pagers before they were imported into Lebanon. The material was implanted next to the battery with a switch that could be remotely triggered.
So, this mass terrorist attack was planned by Israel long ago, although the exact timing of the pager order is not yet clear. I have not seen anything suggesting that it constitutes a crime against humanity, but I can well believe that will follow. Everyone else is still in shock. It has certainly cemented Israel's status as a global pariah.
UPDATE
The next day, a second wave of explosions, this time targeting long-discontinued walkie-talkies, shook Beirut and other Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, killing 20 and injuring 450. Many of the victims were attending funeral services for victims of Tuesday's pager explosions.
It's hard not to admire Israel's ingenuity with this "new phase" of their war against Arab countries in the Middle East. But it's also hard not to be sickened by it.
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