Netanyahu approved pager attacks in Lebanon, spokesman says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved pager attacks that dealt a deadly blow to the Lebanese armed group  Hezbollah in September, Omer Dostri, spokesperson for his office, said on Monday.

The Israeli military, which has been engaged in cross-border fighting with Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, at first declined to respond to questions about the detonations.

On Sept 17, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded across Lebanon, in most cases after the devices beeped, indicating an incoming message.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was the "biggest security breach" for the group in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.

In total, the pager attack, and a second on the following day that activated weaponised walkie-talkies, killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400.