The events of September 17 marked a new chapter in the Gaza war, as hundreds of pagers exploded within half an hour of each other in Beirut and across eastern and southern Lebanon at around 3:30pm local time, killing 12 and injuring 2 800. A day later, walkie-talkies began to explode, killing 20 and wounding more than 450. An unnamed Hezbollah official told Reuters that the incident was the “biggest security breach” for the group in its year-long conflict with Israel.

Quoting US and other officials, the New York Times said that Israel hid an explosive material in the Taiwan-made Gold Apollo pagers before they were imported to Lebanon. It said the material had been planted next to the battery, with a switch that could be triggered remotely.