How a Covert Attack Against Hezbollah Unfolded Across Lebanon s Streets and Malls – WSJ

BEIRUT At 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, two members of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah were eating lunch at a shopping mall in the Lebanese capital when the pager one of the men was carrying exploded, leaving him severely injured and bleeding from the arms and eyes.

Across town at 3:34 p.m., another blast tore through a Hezbollah office. A pager used for internal communications received a text message consisting of a series of numbers, then beeped for five seconds before detonating, throwing one man from his chair and destroying his desk, a witness said.

Within minutes, hundreds of pagers issued to Hezbollah officials in Beirut and around the country exploded, killing 12 people and injuring more than 2,800, Lebanese authorities said. Emergency rooms were flooded with blast victims. Hezbollah s leaders blamed Israel and pledged to retaliate.

Then, on Wednesday, it happened again. This time walkie-talkies and other electronics used by the Shiite militant group began blowing up, sending a second wave of casualties into overcrowded hospitals and further undermining the Shiite militants ability to communicate.

via www.wsj.com