Anxiety Mounts as Lebanon Reels From Attacks
People across the country were avoiding their cellphones and unplugging baby monitors and laptops, after two days of attacks on Hezbollah-owned devices that amplified fears of an all-out war with Israel.
Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon
The fear spread quickly.
Some people hurried to disconnect their appliances. Others unplugged the inverters and solar systems powering their homes. Many kept their cellphones away from them and refused to answer calls. Baby monitors, televisions, laptops — residents of Lebanon viewed them all with suspicion. Could they be the next devices to unexpectedly explode?
After two consecutive days of attacks — in which hand-held communication devices detonated across Lebanon, killing dozens and injuring thousands — the tiny Mediterranean nation was rattled. The explosions were an apparent attack by Israel on members of Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group. But that did not stop others from fearing for their lives.
“Maybe tomorrow lighters will explode, too,” said Hussein Awada, 54, who works as a private driver. “If you want to light a cigarette, it will just explode in your hand.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Awada witnessed the second wave of attacks on Hezbollah, when walkie-talkies owned by the group’s members exploded, a day after thousands of Hezbollah pagers blew up. He had watched as a man had his hand blown off by the two-way radio he was holding.
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Heightened Anxiety in Lebanon After Wireless Device Explosions
The deadly explosions were an apparent attack by Israel on members of Hezbollah.
We started receiving text messages about pagers exploding. Again, we were scared. We had pagers in the hospital. So just like that, at that moment, all pagers in the hospital were shut down.
The blasts were part of an elaborate Israeli operation to infiltrate Hezbollah’s supply chain, according to officials briefed on the attack, though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the explosions. On Thursday, Lebanon’s civil aviation authority banned pagers and walkie-talkies from all flights leaving Beirut’s airport.
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