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Pager Attack: How the Media Whitewashed Hezbollah Terrorists and Slandered Israel
People gather as smoke rises from a mobile shop in Sidon, Lebanon as Hezbollah communication devices explode across the country on Sept. 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hassan Hankir
The pager attack targeting thousands of Hezbollah terrorists — which Israel is believed to be behind — stands as one of the most precise, large-scale counterterrorism operations ever conducted.
CCTV footage from Beirut and its suburbs reveals the meticulous coordination of the blasts, showing members of the Iranian-backed Lebanese group struck by explosions from booby-trapped devices they were carrying.
While Israel has not officially commented or acknowledged any responsibility, a former Israeli official, quoted by Axios, stated that Israeli intelligence planted explosives in devices Hezbollah had imported for a future operation. The attack was expedited to prevent Hezbollah from uncovering the trap.
Though some details of Tuesday’s events remain unclear — like the devices’ origin and how they were rigged — one fact is indisputable, confirmed even by Hezbollah: this was a precision strike targeting their militants within a globally recognized terrorist organization.
Even if we put aside @DailyMailUK‘s erroneous reference to Tel Aviv, why is it Israel that is held responsible for putting the “Middle East on the brink” by allegedly responding to a terrorist org that has been launching attacks since Oct. 8?
Here’s some more poor coverage. pic.twitter.com/wfwsE7F9Lu
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 18, 2024
This truth was largely obscured by international media outlets in their early coverage of the attack.
Several outlets, including The Guardian, BBC, and the UK’s Daily Mirror, found creative ways to sidestep mentioning Hezbollah altogether in headlines, referring to it instead as an “exploding pager attack in Lebanon.”
The Mirror went a step further, calling it a “bizarre” incident, suggesting that thousands of random people — and their pagers — were the targets, rather than Hezbollah militants.
Meanwhile, ABC News framed the event as “wireless devices” mysteriously exploding “in the hands of their owners,” despite quoting a Hezbollah-owned media outlet as its source.
A “Major Escalation”?
Another glaring issue in Tuesday’s coverage was how the media framed the attack as pushing the Middle East to the brink of major escalation.
This narrative dominated reports from journalists, security analysts, and defense experts filing from the comfort of their offices in London and New York. The Daily Mail’s front page, for example, breathlessly warned of the “Middle East on the Brink,” while also managing to misidentify Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital in a confused splash.
It’s telling to compare this headline with the Daily Mail’s coverage of Hezbollah’s rocket strike on Majdal Shams, which killed 12 Druze children.
Not once did the outlet accuse Hezbollah of destabilizing the region, despite the direct hit on a soccer field full of kids.
Indeed, a July article by the Daily Mail about the Majdal Shams tragedy flipped the narrative entirely, claiming Israel would “expand [the] war on new fronts” after responding to the attack with a targeted drone strike on top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
While The Guardian quietly amended a headline on a piece by its defense and security editor Dan Sabbagh after being called out by HonestReporting for blaming Israel for escalating the conflict, the outlet’s global affairs correspondent, Andrew Roth, still described the “exploding pager attack” as “another blow for US peace hopes.”
Apparently, Roth doesn’t think Hezbollah’s frequent, indiscriminate attacks on Israel have done anything to hinder peace efforts.
Meanwhile, an article in The Washington Post — which was passed off as “analysis” — argued that Israel targeting terrorists was proof of its “hunger for war” and a desire to “escalate” tensions in the region.
At the same time, the piece commended Iran and Hezbollah — who have repeatedly vowed to wipe Israel off the map — for their “great deal of restraint.”
Every headline from any reputable news outlet should have been simple: “Israel Targets Hezbollah Terrorists in Precision Pager Attack.”
That’s it. That’s what we know happened.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Hamas in Talks with US About Gaza Ceasefire and Aid, Says Senior Palestinian Official
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive, shelter in tents, in Gaza City May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Talks between Hamas and the US administration regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave were underway, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Sunday.
US President Donald Trump recently repeated a pledge to help get food to Palestinians in Gaza. A US-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington’s envoy to Israel also said on Friday.
There was no immediate comment from the US State Department.
The US had previously conducted discussions with the Palestinian terrorist group on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza.
Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out.
On March 18, Israel effectively ended the January ceasefire agreement with Hamas and renewed its military campaign in Gaza.
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Israel Fully Endorses Trump’s Plan for Gaza Aid, Minister Says
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends a joint press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (not pictured), in Rome, Italy, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that Israel fully endorses US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza aid.
Trump recently repeated a US pledge to help get food to Palestinians in Gaza. A US-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington’s envoy to Israel also said on Friday.
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Prospects of Saudi Ties to Israel Elusive as Trump Seeks $1 Trillion Bonanza
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the 45th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Kuwait city, Kuwait, Dec. 1, 2024. Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
When US President Donald Trump lands in Riyadh on Tuesday, he will be greeted with opulent ceremonies, gilded palaces and the prospect of $1 trillion in investments. But, the raging war in Gaza has denied him one goal he has long craved: Saudi-Israel normalization.
Behind the scenes, US officials are quietly pressing Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza – one of Saudi Arabia’s preconditions for any re-start of normalization talks, said two Gulf sources close to official circles and a US official.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told an audience at the Israeli embassy in Washington this week that he imminently expected progress on expanding the Abraham Accords, a set of deals brokered by Trump in his first term under which Arab states including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco recognized Israel.
“We think we will have some or a lot of announcements very, very shortly, which we hope will yield progress by next year,” Witkoff said in a video of his speech. He is expected to accompany Trump on his visit to the Middle East.
However, opposition by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a permanent stop to the war or to the creation of a Palestinian state make progress on similar talks with Riyadh unlikely, two of the sources said.
Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel as legitimate, meaning the Middle East’s two most advanced economies and military powers do not have formal diplomatic ties. Supporters of normalizing relations say it would bring stability and prosperity to the region, while countering Iran’s influence.
Establishing ties has become especially toxic for Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza.
As such, the issue, central to bilateral talks in Trump’s first term, has effectively been de-linked from economic and other security matters between Washington and the kingdom, according to six other sources Reuters spoke with for this story, including two Saudi and two US officials. The people all asked to remain anonymous to speak about sensitive diplomatic conversations.
Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, needs the Gaza war to end and a credible path to a Palestinian state “before he re-engages with the issue of normalization,” said Dennis Ross, a former US negotiator.
In the meantime, Washington and Riyadh will focus Trump’s trip largely on the economic partnership and other regional matters, according to the six sources. Lucrative investments such as major deals in arms, mega-projects and artificial intelligence are in play, officials from both sides stressed.
The approach was cemented in diplomatic talks between Saudi and US officials ahead of the trip, the first formal state visit of Trump’s second term, they said.
Trump’s stated aim is to secure a trillion-dollar investment in US companies, building on an initial commitment of $600 billion pledged by the crown prince.
The wealthy kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter, knows the ritual well: dazzle the guest, secure the favor. The goal, the sources told Reuters, is to evade diplomatic landmines and perhaps, one said, to win concessions from Trump on the Gaza war and its aftermath.
“The Trump administration wants this trip to be a big deal. That means lots of splashy deal announcements and collaborations that can be sold as being good for America,” said Robert Mogielnicki, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, a think tank in Washington.
“Normalizing ties with Israel is a much heavier lift than rolling out the red carpet for President Trump and announcing investment deals,” he said.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on any understanding reached ahead of the trip, saying Trump “will look to strengthen ties between the United States and our Arab Gulf partners during the visits.”
The Saudi government communications office did not reply to a request for comment.
COURTING THE KINGDOM
Before Hamas launched its Oct.7 attacks on Israel – killing 1,200 people and sparking the devastating Israeli offensive into Gaza – the crown prince was finalizing a landmark diplomatic agreement: a US defense pact in exchange for Riyadh recognizing Israel.
Frustrated by the impact of Gaza’s prolonged crisis on normalization efforts, Trump could use his visit to unveil a US framework to end the 18-month war, the two Gulf sources said.
The plan could create a transitional government and new security arrangements for post-war Gaza – potentially reshaping regional diplomacy and opening the door to future normalization talks, they said.
Underscoring the high-stakes diplomacy underway, Trump met privately with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday to discuss the war and nuclear talks with Iran, Axios reported.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to questions about Trump’s discussions on Gaza.
Trump conspicuously has not announced a visit to Israel as part of his tour of the region. Two diplomats noted the US president has recently refrained from talking about his “Gaza Riviera” plan that enraged the Arab world with the suggestion of resettling the entire Gazan population and US ownership of the strip.
In the build up to the trip, Washington has taken a number of actions that are positive for Saudi Arabia. An agreement to stop US bombing of the Houthis in Yemen is in line with a Saudi ceasefire there. Washington has also de-linked civil nuclear talks from the normalization question.
The stalled Saudi-US defense pact, initially conceived as a formal treaty, was revived in the scaled back form of security guarantees late in the Biden presidency to bypass congressional opposition.
The Trump administration has now picked up those talks, along with the discussions about a civilian nuclear agreement, three of the sources said, while cautioning that it will take time to define terms.
CHINA INFLUENCE
Trump’s Saudi trip is his first formal state visit and second foreign trip since his re-election, after attending the pope’s funeral in Rome. He will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Beneath the showmanship of Trump’s visits, diplomats say, lie also a calculated US effort to reassert influence and reshape economic alignments in a region where Beijing – Washington’s chief economic rival – has steadily expanded its foothold at the heart of the petrodollar system.
Trump’s first trip abroad in his first term also began in Riyadh, where he unveiled $350 billion in Saudi investments.
Trump commands deep trust from the Saudi leadership, rooted in the close ties during his first term – a period defined by large arms deals and steadfast US backing for Bin Salman, even as global outrage erupted over the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies now plan to urge Trump to ease U.S. regulations that have increasingly deterred foreign investment, particularly in sectors deemed part of America’s “critical national infrastructure,” five industry sources said.
In meetings with U.S. officials, Saudi ministers will advocate for a more business-friendly climate, especially at a time when China is aggressively courting Gulf capital, the industry sources said.
While countering China’s economic rise may top Trump’s foreign policy agenda, it won’t be easy in Saudi Arabia. Since the launch of Vision 2030, China has become integral to the kingdom’s plans, dominating sectors from energy and infrastructure to renewables.
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