Reactions to the Explosion of Hezbollah Lebanon's Pagers; Users: Hail to the Pagers and the Hand that Ignited Them

The simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers belonging to members of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, reportedly due to a cyber attack, left at least 9 dead and nearly 3,000 injured, provoking widespread reactions among Iranian users. News sources, citing eyewitness accounts, reported that nearly 3,000 people, including hundreds of Hezbollah members, were injured following the sudden explosion of pagers in Lebanon. The Lebanese Minister of Health stated that at least 9 people, including a child, were killed in the explosions on Tuesday, and about 2,800 others were injured. The extensive damage to Hezbollah's communication network and the injury of hundreds of its members, supported by the Islamic Republic, has brought joy to Iranian users on social media. Ali Karimi, a popular Iranian football figure and opponent of the Islamic Republic, shared an image of a pager on social media platform X, writing: "The casualties from this device are more than those from the regime's water heaters." Asghar Sepehri, a civil activist and brother of political prisoners Mohammad Hossein and Fatemeh Sepehri, referenced the term "gas leak martyrs" used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for those killed in an incident, stating: "After the 'gas leak martyrs', it is now the turn of the 'pager martyrs'!" Saeed Ghasemi Nejad, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote: "Hail to the pagers and the hand that ignited them!" One user reacted to the simultaneous explosion of Hezbollah's pagers in Lebanon and the death and injury of many members of this militia by sharing a created image from a video showing the fear of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, during the funeral prayer of Ismail Haniyeh, alongside a smiling Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, holding a phone, with music overlay saying: "Pick up the phone to calm your voice a little." Another user shared an image of a fierce pager chasing a cleric, reportedly published in Hebrew sources, asking whether the next target of the attack would be "officials of the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic?" Hediyeh Kimiai, a journalist, using the hashtag "pager martyr", questioned, "Is this Hollywood?" Hanania Naftali, an Israeli user writing in Persian on social media X, referred to reports about the injury of Mojtaba Amani, asking: "Why does the Iranian ambassador have a new Hezbollah pager? Is he a member of that terrorist group? Or did he tell himself that the pager is free and took one?" Hatef Motahari, a civil activist, published a video of Mojtaba Amani being transferred to the hospital. Additionally, a message from the wife of the Iranian ambassador in Beirut was shared on his X account stating that he is well. Following the simultaneous explosion of Hezbollah members' pagers, the Associated Press reported, citing its photographers in Lebanese hospitals, that the emergency departments were filled with individuals injured in this incident, with some in critical condition. Farzin Nedimi, an analyst, told Voice of America that the explosion of Hezbollah's pagers is "a military-grade cyber offensive operation." Farzin Nedimi: The explosion of Hezbollah's pagers is a military-grade cyber offensive operation. Fariborz Karami Zand, a former police officer and security and military analyst, stated that since these forces used pagers, a tool used for faster and safer summons (compared to mobile phones), it can be concluded that these individuals were among Hezbollah's operational forces. Mr. Karami Zand emphasized: "Hezbollah has been and remains the regime's arm of repression and assassination both inside and outside Iran, so each of these forces could potentially be a killer of Iranians." Farhad Motaghi, a political activist, praised the "intelligence of the sons of Moses," a title some Iranian users use to refer to Israeli forces, stating that "these devices are used for encrypted internal communications." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 14 members of pro-Islamic Republic militias, including Hezbollah, were transferred to hospitals in the provinces of Damascus and Rif Dimashq due to injuries from the pager explosion. This London-based organization noted that the nationality of these militants is unclear. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel "Saberin News" reported that 7 people were injured in "Zainabiyah" Syria due to the pager explosion. Yuval Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, stated on Monday, September 26, in a phone call with Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, that the opportunity for a diplomatic solution to the current deadlock with Hezbollah, a group supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, is running out. The Hezbollah group has also been designated as a terrorist organization by several Western countries, although some countries are reluctant to sanction its political wing, fearing that such actions may lead to further instability in Lebanon and disrupt contact with government officials. Hezbollah was established in 1982 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Several countries, including the United States, Israel, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Australia, have recognized the group as a terrorist organization. Recognizing Hezbollah as a terrorist organization means not distinguishing between its political and military wings and labeling both as terrorists.