The Israeli government did not tamper with the Hezbollah phones that exploded, defense and intelligence officials say. It manufactured them as part of an elaborate ruse.
At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 others wounded, Lebanese officials said, a day after pagers exploded across the country and killed 12 people, in an attack widely attributed to Israel.
Ambulances arriving after a device reportedly exploded during the funeral in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday for people killed when hundreds of pagers exploded across Lebanon a day earlier.
Two series of coordinated attacks targeting the group’s wireless devices caused thousands of injuries, piercing the group’s rank and file and raising questions about how it will respond.
By targeting so many pagers at the same time, Israel demonstrated technical prowess and partly restored the aura of its intelligence agencies. But its long-term intent is unclear.
The Iranian-backed militant group, which uses pagers to safeguard communications, blamed Israel for the attacks in Lebanon. Israel declined to comment.
Small amounts of explosive were implanted in beepers that Hezbollah had ordered from a Taiwanese company, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation.
Dismissing the minister, Yoav Gallant, would remove a frequent critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a time of mounting tensions with Hezbollah.
The Secret Service’s acting director praised his agents’ actions but conceded that there had been no prior sweep of the golf course at Donald Trump’s club.
Meeting with a senior Biden administration adviser, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “the only way” for Israel to return its displaced citizens to the northern border is through military action against Hezbollah.
Readers react to Biden, Netanyahu and the killing of the hostages. Also: Trump and I.V.F.; a gay-Christian alliance; reasons for joy; Disney trips; fancy dorms.
Heads of state and diplomats who have interacted with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee say she uses humor, and talk of food, to help leaven hard discussions.
In a move brokered by China, Fatah and Hamas endorsed a unified government for the West Bank and Gaza, but Palestinians are skeptical that the two parties can put aside their differences.
A joint statement supports the formation of a government of national consensus. But for many Palestinians, the gathering in the Chinese capital was nothing more than a performance bound for failure.
The discussions between Israeli and Egyptian officials comes amid diplomatic activity on several continents over a cease-fire deal and postwar plans for the territory.
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