Lebanon: Urgent call for an investigation into attacks on communication devices

ARTICLE 19 condemns the recent attacks in Lebanon and Syria, involving the detonation of pagers and other wireless communication devices, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and injuries. The incident raises serious concerns about indiscriminate attacks, and other international law violations. Such actions not only endanger lives but also create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust around communication tools, potentially stifling freedom of expression and the free flow of information. We join the call of human rights organisations and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for a prompt and independent international investigation into the circumstances of these explosions. Those responsible must be held to account.

Pagers and walkie-talkies thought to be used by members of the Hezbollah militant group were detonated almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria on 17 and 18 September. Although the Israeli government has not directly claimed responsibility for the attack, the Israeli defence ministerdeclared 'a new era of war', praising the 'excellent achievements' of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), together with Israel's security and intelligence agencies,following the attacks. This has been interpretedas a tacit acknowledgement of Israel's role in the attack.

Much remains unknown about the exact nature of the attack. Many have described it as unprecedented, and the turning of communication devices into weapons as a new development in warfare. The use of such booby-trap devices sets a new precedent for the harm to life that technology can present.

Yet, even if the nature of the attack or the modalities of its execution may be novel, they do not fall outside the bounds of international law. ARTICLE 19 joins expertsand human rights organisationsin their assessment that, from what we know, the laws of armed conflict appear to have been breached by these attacks. For example, international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-traps or other devices in the form of harmless portable objects which are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material. It also prohibits indiscriminate attacks that fail to distinguish between military and civilian targets. Evidence suggeststhat those planning the attack could not verify who could be harmed in the vicinity of the devices.

ARTICLE 19 therefore joins callsfor the attacks to be investigated as potential war crimes.

The attacks also raise important questionsabout the security of global supply chains, their vulnerability to interference by governments or other actors and the impact this attack could have in undermining people's trust in the safety of their electronic devices. Any investigation into this horrific attack should also address how thousands of communication devices could be converted into weapons and how explosives could have been incorporated into these devices or their supply chains.