Hezbollah pagers explosion is a tactical gain for Israel, says analyst

HUNDREDS of paging devices used by members of Hezbollah -the Iran-backed Shia militant group exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria in an attack that is said to have killed at least a dozen people, including a child, and wounded around 3,000 people.

- BALA CHAUHAN

Though Israel has not commented as yet on the attack, Hezbollah has blamed Mossad-the Israeli intelligence agency for it.

"This is not the first time that Israel has planted an explosive in a communication device used by its enemies. In 1996, Yahya Ayyash, head of the bomb-making programme of Palestinian militant group-Hamas-was blown up in an explosion after Shin Bet Israel's internal intelligence agency-planted an explosive in his cellphone. The same was detonated as soon as Ayyash took his father's call," West Asia analyst and former visiting faculty of international relations, University of Warsaw, Saurabh Kumar Shahi said.