It was audacious in its conception and brilliant in its execution. Thousands of pagers distributed to Hezbollah operatives had been intercepted and modified so that small amounts of explosives detonated in individuals’ hands, pockets or locations nearby. The damage inflicted was on an unprecedented scale. The impact of thousands of small tactical devices achieved a strategic effect.

Lebanon’s health ministry said 20 people were killed and 450 injured in Wednesday’s blasts. Tuesday’s explosions killed 12 people, including two children, and injured nearly 3000 Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Wednesday.

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of a person killed by an exploding pager in Beirut, Lebanon.Credit: AP

There are numerous unanswered questions about what the operation means. One thig is clear: it is a disaster at every level for Hezbollah. Six months ago, its secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, urged members to bury their mobile devices “for the sake of security”. Now their use of the more basic – and supposedly safer – alternative communications devices has caused untold damage to the organisation, both physically and reputationally.

Israel’s identification and interdiction of the Hezbollah supply chain – allowing it to seed the pagers and walkie-talkies with the explosive – is an intelligence coup for Israel and yet another intelligence failure by Hezbollah. Israel’s July killing of senior Hezbollah military official Fuad Shukr in the Dahiya district, Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s south, showed that its senior officials were vulnerable. This attack exposes the vulnerability of hundreds of much lower-level operators.

Perhaps the biggest unanswered........

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