International
Manipulated ‘you’ searches’ and a fake message: what is known about the explosions in Lebanon
A new shipment of search devices used by members of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbulá, originally manipulated before arriving in Lebanon, and a false message that detonated them remotely are the most likely hypotheses of the chain of explosions that this Tuesday caused at least twelve deaths in an operation attributed to Israel.
According to various sources, and in the absence of knowing the exact details, including who was the author of that cyber attack that from Lebanon is attributed to Israel, the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications, Johnny Corn, assures that the devices that exploded were part of a shipment that “recently” arrived” in Lebanon.
He states that “maybe it was activated remotely,” although he does not yet know how, and indicates that, according to preliminary information, “the batteries of the people seekers heated up.”
It may, therefore, that even some people threw away those devices before they exploded.
This is what is known so far about this unusual and sophisticated operation:
Since the simultaneous attack, which injured thousands of people, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, and which affected members of the Shii armed formation in Syria, there have been numerous hypotheses about how this attack could have occurred.
The most likely, and that some experts are already pointing out, such as the military analyst and independent politician, Elijah J. Magnier, is that an explosive trap was placed inside the devices, which “were not imported directly to Lebanon, but were stopped in a nearby country for three months, where Israel implanted the explosive.”
In what would be a sophisticated infiltration in the supply chain of these devices, Israel would have placed the explosives in that batch of devices, in total about 3,000, according to several US media, including The New York Times, always citing anonymous sources.
These explosives would have been implanted next to the battery of each of the mensaphones, which is why there was an overheating prior to the explosion, to which a mechanism was added to detonate them remotely.
That mechanism was a false message, which supposedly came from the dome of Hezbulá, and that when punctured activated the explosives.
Before the detonation, according to the sources, the device was programmed to beep for several seconds.
This type of attacks on supply chains is a concern in the field of cybersecurity due to the potential ‘hacks’ that may occur in the development phases, although these actions are normally limited to software and not to hardware, since for the latter it is required to have accessed the device during the assembly line.
Several computer experts consulted by EFE support the theory that, for these explosions to occur, the devices would have to have been manipulated at origin or destination, pointing out that the manufacturers of the components of these mensaphones are the ones who should respond to this.
And they have done so, since according to the New York Times, Hizbulá commissioned the devices from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.
However, the Asian company denied in a statement having manufactured these devices and indicated that the person responsible for producing them is a company called ‘BAC’, which is based in Budapest.
Regarding the AR-924 ‘person-seeker’ that would have been used in the explosions, the Taiwanese company reiterates that it is a model “produced and sold” by BAC.
“We only provide the authorization of the registered trademark and we are not involved in the design or manufacture of this product. We always adhere to the relevant regulations and maintain a transparent and compliant cooperation with our partners,” the statement concluded.
The Shiite group uses among its members this kind of devices as a means of communication to avoid being geolocated by Israel, which usually carries out selective murders against members of Hezbullah, among other factions present in Lebanon and Syria.
Mensaphones, which became obsolete with the arrival of the mobile phone, are low-tech wireless devices that basically receive alphanumeric and bidirectional messages, with the ability to send and receive short messages.
International
French Parliament Moves to Approve Social Media Age Limit for Minors
France’s Parliament is expected to approve legislation on Tuesday banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, following an agreement reached Monday between lawmakers on the mechanism to enforce the measure.
The initiative is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s broader effort to strengthen online protections for minors and regulate children’s screen time before the end of his second presidential term in May 2027.
“Tomorrow, France will become the first country in Europe to establish a digital age of majority to better protect our children online,” Digital Affairs Minister Anne Le Hénanff said Monday in a post on X.
If approved, the government plans to implement the restriction in September, when students return to school after the summer holidays.
The United Kingdom has already passed similar legislation restricting social media access for users under the age of 16, although that measure is scheduled to take effect in early 2027.
Both the National Assembly, France’s lower house of Parliament, and the Senate are expected to hold final votes on the legislation Tuesday after a joint committee of seven senators and seven lawmakers reached an agreement on the bill’s final wording.
Under the proposed law, children under 15 years old would be prohibited from accessing online social media services, with limited exceptions for certain platforms, including online encyclopedias.
The legislation would make France the first member of the European Union to introduce a nationwide minimum digital age for access to social media platforms, reflecting a growing international movement to strengthen online safeguards for children and teenagers.
International
WHO to Hold New Round of Talks After Slow Progress on Pandemic Accord
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) made limited progress during the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) tasked with finalizing a key annex to the global pandemic agreement, prompting negotiators to schedule another round of talks in September.
The session, which opened on July 6 and concluded last week at WHO headquarters in Geneva, focused on drafting and negotiating the annex covering the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, a central component of the pandemic accord.
Without the completion of the PABS annex, the global pandemic agreement cannot enter into force.
The annex had originally been expected to be finalized before May 2026, but negotiations have progressed more slowly than anticipated.
In a statement, the WHO said member states “advanced negotiations” on the PABS system while acknowledging that additional discussions are required to complete a framework capable of supporting a faster, more effective and more equitable response to future pandemics.
The organization announced that an eighth round of negotiations will take place on September 14.
Despite the limited progress, delegates succeeded in streamlining the draft text and concentrating discussions on several technical issues.
According to the WHO, negotiators focused on the contractual arrangements underpinning the PABS mechanism, the laboratory networks responsible for handling and sharing pathogens and their genetic sequence data, as well as the framework for distributing the benefits generated through the sharing of those pathogens.
The PABS system is considered one of the most important elements of the future pandemic agreement, as it aims to ensure timely access to pathogens for scientific research while establishing fair mechanisms for sharing the benefits derived from vaccines, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures developed during future global health emergencies.
International
Iran Says It Is in “Full-Scale War” as U.S. Launches Ninth Consecutive Night of Airstrikes
Iran declared on Monday that it is facing a “full-scale war” against the United States after Washington carried out another wave of overnight airstrikes, including attacks near a city that hosts one of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country must prepare for the consequences of the ongoing conflict, describing the situation as a broad military confrontation.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said in a statement released by the presidency. “We must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance.”
The latest U.S. strikes marked the ninth consecutive night of military operations, according to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which announced the attacks on X.
Since hostilities resumed on July 7, U.S. air operations have expanded well beyond southern Iran, reaching central and northwestern regions of the country, according to local sources.
Local authorities reported that one person was killed and several others injured in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, more than 1,000 kilometers from the Persian Gulf.
Additional casualties were reported in the nearby city of Urmia, where several people were wounded during separate strikes.
Washington said the attacks targeted military installations. However, Iranian officials accused the United States of striking populated areas, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
Iran also reported that the Darkhovin nuclear facility, which is still under construction, was among the sites hit during the latest attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the renewed military campaign was carried out in honor of American service members killed in recent days.
Two U.S. soldiers died on Friday during attacks on a military base in Jordan, while another service member was killed on Sunday during the controlled disposal of unexploded munitions from an Iranian drone in northern Iraq.
According to U.S. figures, 17 American troops have been killed since the conflict began on February 28.
On the Iranian side, the latest official figures released on Friday reported 50 deaths and more than 500 injuries since fighting resumed earlier this month.
A memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States on June 17, which had been intended to pave the way for peace negotiations, collapsed after hostilities resumed over the strategic control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
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