Netanyahu admits responsibility for deadly pager explosions in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly admitted on Sunday for the first time that Israel was responsible for the mass pager explosions in Lebanon nearly two months ago, which left at least 26 people dead and over 3,200 injured.

The explosions, which occurred on Sept. 17 and 18, involved thousands of pager devices that detonated across several areas of Lebanon. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu acknowledged that some officials in Israel’s defense and political circles opposed both the pager operation and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

“There were senior officials in the defense establishment and the political echelon in charge of them who opposed the pager operation, as well as Hassan Nasrallah’s elimination,” Netanyahu said, as reported by Israeli Channel 12.

“Before the pager operation, they told me that the U.S. would oppose it, but I did not listen to them.”

This marked the first public admission by a senior Israeli official regarding responsibility for the pager explosions.

Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut on Sept. 27. Since late September, Israel has continued a massive air campaign in Lebanon, targeting what it claims are Hezbollah positions, in a sharp escalation of cross-border conflict coinciding with the Gaza war.

Lebanese health authorities report that more than 3,100 people have been killed and over 13,800 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023. Israel launched a ground incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.