Lebanon Prohibits Use of Pagers on Aircraft
Lebanon’s civil aviation authority has prohibited the use of walkie-talkies and pagers on flights. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Lebanon has implemented a ban on pagers and walkie-talkies on flights entering or departing from Beirut, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
This new regulation was put into place following a series of devastating explosions caused by handheld devices, which resulted in the deaths of at least 37 individuals and injuries to approximately 3,000 more. These incidents took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and involved devices used by members of Hezbollah, who have accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks.
“Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday issued a new directive prohibiting passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board any aircraft,” NNA reported on Thursday, quoting Faid El Hassan, the head of the Lebanese civil aviation authority. El Hassan explained that the ban encompasses all forms of luggage and cargo.
Hezbollah has historically favored pagers for communication, considering them to be low-tech yet secure from potential Israeli hacks into more modern communication tools like smartphones.
While Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement, several reports suggest that the Mossad was behind the booby-trapped devices. According to The New York Times, Mossad allegedly created a bogus company in Hungary to manufacture these rigged pagers under a license from a Taiwanese firm.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, characterized the explosions as a "declaration of war" and promised retaliation. In contrast, Israeli authorities have maintained their stance on preventing Hezbollah’s attacks from reaching northern Israel.
The United Nations has strongly criticized the explosions, deeming them "unacceptable." Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, has urged that an independent investigation be conducted to understand the full scope of the incident.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
This new regulation was put into place following a series of devastating explosions caused by handheld devices, which resulted in the deaths of at least 37 individuals and injuries to approximately 3,000 more. These incidents took place on Tuesday and Wednesday and involved devices used by members of Hezbollah, who have accused Israel of orchestrating the attacks.
“Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday issued a new directive prohibiting passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on board any aircraft,” NNA reported on Thursday, quoting Faid El Hassan, the head of the Lebanese civil aviation authority. El Hassan explained that the ban encompasses all forms of luggage and cargo.
Hezbollah has historically favored pagers for communication, considering them to be low-tech yet secure from potential Israeli hacks into more modern communication tools like smartphones.
While Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement, several reports suggest that the Mossad was behind the booby-trapped devices. According to The New York Times, Mossad allegedly created a bogus company in Hungary to manufacture these rigged pagers under a license from a Taiwanese firm.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, characterized the explosions as a "declaration of war" and promised retaliation. In contrast, Israeli authorities have maintained their stance on preventing Hezbollah’s attacks from reaching northern Israel.
The United Nations has strongly criticized the explosions, deeming them "unacceptable." Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, has urged that an independent investigation be conducted to understand the full scope of the incident.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
