Explosives put in devices before they arrived in Lebanon, says Lebanon’s UN mission

UNITED NATIONS – A preliminary investigation by the Lebanese authorities into the communications devices that blew up in Lebanon this week found that they were implanted with explosives before arriving in the country, according to a letter sent to the UN Security Council by Lebanon’s mission to the UN.

The authorities also determined that the devices, which included pagers and handheld radios, were detonated by sending electronic messages to the devices, says the letter, seen by Reuters on Sept 19. Israel was responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks, Lebanon’s UN mission said.

The 15-member Security Council is due to meet on Sept 20 over the blasts.

The attacks on Hezbollah’s communications equipment

on Sept 17 and 18 killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000, overwhelming Lebanese hospitals and wreaking bloody havoc on the militant group.

Israel has not directly commented on the attacks, which security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency, known for its long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign soil. REUTERS