The human toll of Israel’s pager attack on Lebanon

Thousands of pagers distributed to the militant group Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon on 17 September 2024. Hussein Dheini was playing at home in southern Lebanon when an unfamiliar noise rang out from his dad’s pager. When he picked up the device it exploded in his hands. Following years of planning, the devices had been remotely detonated by Israel after it used shell companies to sell the rigged devices to Hezbollah’s commercial associates. Human rights and United Nations reports called the attack indiscriminate, saying it may have violated international law. Twelve people were killed, including two children, as a result of the attack. More than 3,000 people were injured.