Paranoia over tech is mounting in Lebanon after deadly Hezbollah-pager explosions

Radio and pager explosions in Lebanon injured thousands of people. Some, who were unharmed, donated blood to help the injured.

The deadly Hezbollah-pager explosions are causing mounting distrust, with some Lebanon residents growing increasingly suspicious of their electronic devices.

Handheld radios and pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing 37 people and wounding around 3,000, according to Lebanese authorities.

The cause of the explosions has not yet been confirmed. Lebanese and US sources believe the explosions could have been a coordinated attack by Israel, BBC News reported. Israel has not claimed responsibility.

“The enemy crossed all rules, laws and red lines,” said Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech on Thursday. “It didn’t care about anything at all, not morally, not humanely, not legally,” Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a speech on Thursday.

Precautions have been taken to prevent further attacks. As of Thursday, walkie-talkies and pagers are banned on flights out of Lebanon, according to the National News Agency cited by Reuters.

Even so, the Lebanese public has become wary about trusting their own electronic devices. According to The New York Times, people are viewing everything from baby monitors to laptops with suspicion.

Mustafa Sibai, a resident of Beirut, told Reuters that he abandoned his phone because of fears that it would explode.

“When I heard about what happened yesterday, I left my phone on my motorcycle and walked away,” he said.

“Of course we’re scared, my children, my siblings’ children, all of us. Who can feel safe in this situation?” he added.

Mustafa Jemaa, the owner of an electronics store in Sidon, told the same outlet that he feared some of his stock was no longer safe.

“We had some devices here that we believed were 100% safe, but out of caution, we removed them … because we got worried,” he said.

These fears were echoed by Firass Abiad, Lebanon’s health minister, who told BBC News: “We have to think twice before using technology.”

Meanwhile, Hussein Awada told The Times that he witnessed the second wave of explosions on Wednesday. He said it has caused him to worry about what other devices might be at risk.

“Maybe tomorrow lighters will explode, too,” Awada told the outlet. “If you want to light a cigarette, it will just explode in your hand.”

“I saw stuff today that you can only see in movies,” he added.

Fears are now growing of a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah. On Friday, the Israeli military said that rockets had been fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.

Israel said it had carried out air strikes overnight on southern Lebanon.