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Exploding Pagers Kill 12 & Injure Thousands In Lebanon & Syria

Several news agencies are now reporting that Israel’s Mossad was responsible for planting the devices used in the attack.

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3 months ago

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exploding pagers kill 12 and injure thousands in lebanon and syria
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Thousands of Lebanese and Syrian citizens have been injured in an attack that used modified pagers loaded with explosives. Lebanon’s health minister, Firass Abiad, confirmed that twelve people, including a young child, had been killed. Meanwhile, the state media agency, NNA, announced that a further 2,800 people were injured.

By yesterday evening (Tuesday, September 17), the New York Times had reported that Israel was to blame for the attacks, stating: “Israel carried out its operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday by hiding explosive material within a new batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation”.

Reuters also reported that it had gained information from a “senior Lebanese security source” and “another source” that Hezbollah had imported 5,000 pagers from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo. However, at some point in the supply chain, the units were intercepted and replaced with modified versions carrying explosives. The source also claimed that Israel’s Mossad spy agency was responsible, adding around three grams of high-explosive material inside the casing of each device.

The Importance Of Pagers To Hezbollah

As we have seen in both the Ukraine war and in places such as Afghanistan, smartphone communications can be deadly, as they’re relatively easy to intercept and give away the exact location of the person operating them.

gold apollo exploding pagers in lebanon

For that reason, groups waging asymmetric warfare prefer to use low-tech communication methods such as hand-delivered letters or, in this case, old-school devices like pagers.

Reuters sources said 3,000 pagers exploded after 15:00 local time after being triggered by receiving a coded message. According to the New York Times, the message “appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership”.

Also Read: The Top 10 Worst Cyberattacks In The Middle East Revealed

Videos of the exploding pagers have already spread like wildfire across news networks and social media platforms. One shows a man at a store checkout looking down to view his pager before it explodes, pushing him backwards. Another CCTV video from a market shows a man sustaining injuries after one of the modified devices explodes in his bag.

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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

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2 days ago

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December 17, 2024

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uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth

The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.

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