Both Turkish and Lebanese officials are implementing or considering new security measures for communication devices following a multi-stage attack targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
The blasts, which came in two waves, the first of which was on Tuesday, saw some 5,000 pagers rigged with explosives detonate, sparking chaos across Hezbollah-dominated areas of Lebanon. A day later, members of the group allegedly remotely detonated hundreds of walkie-talkers.
The Turkish defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Turkey’s armed forces currently use domestically produced communication devices but will nonetheless be implementing security controls for devices accessed by third parties.
“Whether in the operations we carry out, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and as with the Lebanon example, measures are reviewed, and new measures are being developed as part of the lessons learned following each development,” the official stated.
Turkey maintains close ties with Hezbollah ally Hamas’ political leadership and has been consistently critical of Israeli military action in Gaza.
Also on Thursday, Lebanese authorities announced a temporary ban on the transport of walkie-talkies and pagers at the Beirut airport while the army destroys additional suspicious devices as part of a nationwide sweep, the country’s National News Agency reported.
The explosions claimed the lives of 37 people in total and injured over 3,000 more.
Both Lebanon and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the attacks, while Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement.
Iran backs the heavily armed Shiite militia group, which maintains considerable influence over the small Mediterranean nation and de facto controls large swaths of the country, mainly in the south and specific Beirut suburbs.