Iran sends "pager case" indictment against Netanyahu, six Israelis to court

Iranian prosecutors have referred an indictment against seven Israeli citizens, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to a Tehran court over the September 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon.

The Tehran prosecutor announced the move, Tasnim reports.

According to Iranian authorities, the case was opened following a request from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and a complaint by its ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, who was injured in the explosions.

The defendants face charges including attempted murder, causing injury and damage to property, as well as disrupting computer and communications systems.

The case has now been handed to the judicial authorities for further proceedings.

On September 17 and 18, 2024, thousands of pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria in what became known as Operation Grim Beeper.

The first wave, targeting pagers, killed at least 12 people and injured more than 2,750, while the second wave, involving walkie-talkies, killed at least 30 and wounded more than 750. The blasts caused widespread chaos in hospitals across Lebanon and left many victims with severe injuries.

The operation was reportedly planned over a decade. Hezbollah had turned to pagers after Hassan Nasrallah warned that Israel had infiltrated its mobile phone network. Israel later acknowledged responsibility for the attacks.

By Aghakazim Guliyev