According to the CNN and other news sites, Lebanon has been repeatedly racked with small explosions from rigged pagers, ranging from 3:30 p.m. local time and 5:00 p.m. during Sept. 17 and 18 respectively.
Around 32 people were severely wounded in the explosions, with 3,250 people having been injured. About 200 of those people were wounded critically, and 500 of them received major damage to their eyes.
Lebanon officials have claimed that Israel was behind the attacks, however Israel has denied these claims.
The cause of the explosions was not a malfunction, and with the knowledge that they all went off around a similar time in both instances, the possibility that this was a planned attack is the most likely one.
“The devices which exploded in Lebanon appeared to be a knock-off product,” the BBC said.
Most likely, the devices had been tampered with before they got into the hands of Lebanese individuals.
These attacks are considered to be a violation of human rights by Humanitarian Rights groups and the UN.
“Humanitarian law additionally prohibits the use of booby-traps disguised as apparently harmless portable objects where specifically designed and constructed with explosives,” the UN experts said.
“This could include a modified civilian pager,” they said.
The relationship between Lebanon and Israel has always been complex and combative, but since these recent attacks, the situation has only gotten worse, and the violence is most likely to escalate further because of this.
