Media: Israeli PM confirms approval of operation on Hezbollah's communication devices

The Israeli prime minister's office has announced that Benjamin Netanyahu approved the September operation targeting Hezbollah fighters' communication devices in Lebanon.

"I confirm," said an official from Netanyahu's office in response to a relevant inquiry, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

On November 10, the Ynet website reported that Netanyahu had indicated during a weekly cabinet meeting that day that he had authorised the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the operation to disrupt communication devices used by fighters of the Shiite organisation in Lebanon.

Over 4,000 people were injured, and 11 died due to the detonation of communication pagers across various neighbourhoods in Lebanon. The Lebanese health minister confirmed the casualties. 

The condition of 400 people injured was assessed by medics as serious. Among the injured was Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who was lightly wounded in the explosion and immediately was transferred to a Beirut hospital. The explosion was believed to have been part of a coordinated cyberattack targeting several areas of the country. Preliminary reports suggested that Israeli intelligence services may have been involved in the attack. Alongside the ambassador, several other staff members from the Iranian diplomatic mission were also wounded. 

The Lebanese government accused Israel of orchestrating the explosions, describing them as "criminal aggression." In a statement shared on social network X, the Lebanese Cabinet condemned the incident as a severe violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, holding Israel accountable for the attacks. A series of explosions struck the southern Beirut district of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, alongside reports of similar incidents in Nabatiyeh, Tyre, Beqaa, Bint Jbeil, and other areas on September 17. 

Hezbollah activists were instructed to discard their mobile phones and pagers due to concerns over Israeli cyberattacks. There were fears that Israeli hackers might have remotely accessed and detonated devices used by Hezbollah members. A Hezbollah source claimed that Israeli operatives had successfully hacked into the communication devices of Hezbollah activists, causing the explosions and resulting in significant casualties.

By Naila Huseynova