Wetin be 'pager' wey explode, kill pipo for Lebanon and why Hezbollah dey use am?

Thousands of pipo don injure for Lebanon, after pagers wey di armed group Hezbollah dey use take communicate dramatically explode almost at di same time across di kontri on Tuesday.

At least nine pipo die and like 2,800 injure, many of dem wound seriously.

E no clear how di attack - wey look like a highly sophisticated one - happun, though Hezbollah dom blame im enemy Israel. Israeli officials so far never comment.

Video, wey dem share for social media, be like e show di moment one pager explode inside supermarket for Lebanon on Tuesday afternoon. E show one small blast wey injure one person wey fall fot ground.

BBC Verify analysis of di video suggest say dem upload am after di blasts happun, and di date and time wey show for di CCTV match reports of wen di pagers bin explode.

Dis na wetin we know so far about di incidence.

When and where e happen?

Di blasts begin for Lebanon capital Beirut and several oda areas of di country at about 15:45 local time (13:45 BST) on Tuesday.

Witnesses report say dem see smoke coming from pipo pockets, before dem see small explosions wey sound like fireworks and gunshots.

For one clip, CCTV footage show explosion inside one man trouser pocket as e stand for one shop.

Explosions continued for around one hour after di initial blasts, Reuters news agency report.

Soon after, oda pipo start to dey land hospitals across Lebanon, with witnesses wey dey report say confusion just full ground.

How di pagers explode?

Some sabi pipo don dey quick to express shock at di level of Tuesday's attack - say Hezbollah dey hail demsefs for dia security measures.

Some suggest say na hack fit don cause di pager batteries to overheat, causing di devices to explode.

But many experts say e no dey likely, say footage of di explosions no dey consistent with overheating batteries.

Some analysts say instead wetin dey more likely na some sort of supply chain attack, wey involve di pagers being tampered with during dia manufacture or in transit.

Supply chain attacks na a growing concern for di cyber security world with many high-profile incidents recently wey hackers don cause by gaining access to products while dem still dey develop dem.

But dis attacks dey normally dey contained to di software. Hardware supply chain attacks dey rare as dem involve for person to get dia hands on di device.

If dis na indeed a supply chain attack, e go don involve a huge operation to secretly tamper with di pagers in some way.

One former British Army munitions expert, wey say make we no name am, tell BBC say di devices fit don dey packed with between 10 to 20 grams each of military-grade high explosive, wey dem hide inside a fake electronic component.

Dis, di expert tok say, go dey don armed by a signal, something dem call alphanumeric text message.

Wetin be pagers and why Hezbollah dey use am?

Hezbollah dey rely heavily on pagers as a low-tech means of communications to try to dodge location-tracking by Israel.

Pager na a wireless telecommunications device wey dey receive and displays alphanumeric or voice messages.

Mobile phones don long since dey abandoned as simply too vulnerable, as Israel assassination of di Hamas bomb-maker Yahya Ayyash demonstrate as long ago as 1996, wen im phone explode for im hand.

But one Hezbollah operative tell AP news agency say di pagers na a new brand wey di group bin never use before.

Emily Harding, on ex-analyst with CIA, say di security breach dey deeply embarrassing to Hezbollah.

"Dis kain breach no dey only physically harmful, but go also make dem question dia entire security apparatus," she tell BBC.

"I go expect to see dem conduct intensive internal investigation wey go distract dem from a potential fight with Israel."

Who dey responsible?

So far, nobody don claim responsibility - though Lebanon prime minister and Hezbollah don blame Israel.

One Lebanese source and anoda source tell Reuters say Mossad - di Israeli spy agency - place explosives inside thousands of Taiwan made pagers wey Hezbollah order, wey dem import months ago.

Separately, Israeli and US sources tell Axios and Al-Monitor say di explosions bin dey initially planned as di opening move of one "all-out" offensive against Hezbollah.

But in recent days, Israel become concerned say Hezbollah don get di plan - so dem detonate dem early.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati say di explosions represent a “serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime by all standards”.

Inside statement wia dem accuse Israel of being behind di attacks, Hezbollah say e hold di country "fully responsible for dis criminal aggression wey also target civilians".

"Dis criminal enemy go certainly receive im just punishment for dis sinful aggression, weda e expect am or not," e add.

Israeli officials neva comment on di allegations, but most analysts agree say e dey likely na dem dey behind di attack.

Prof Simon Mabon, chair for International Relations for Lancaster University, tell BBC say: "We know say Israel get history of using technology to track im target" - but e call di scale of dis attack "unprecedented".

Lina Khatib, from UK-based Chatham House, say di attack suggest say Israel don "deeply" infiltrate Hezbollah "communications network".

Wetin we know about di victims?

One source close to Hezbollah tell AFP say two of those killed be di sons of two Hezbollah MPs. Dem also say di daughter of one Hezbollah member die too.

Among di injured na Iran ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani. Reports for Iranian media say im injuries no serious.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah no injure for di explosions, Reuters report quoting one source.

Lebanese Public Health Minister Firass Abiad say damage to di hands and face make up plenti of di injuries.

Speaking to BBC Newshour programme, e say: "Most of di injuries appear to be to di face and especially to di eyes and also di hand with some amputations, weda na di hands or di fingers, and some of dem get injuries for oda part of dia body."

He add say: "Most of di pipo wey dey come di emergency rooms dey in civilian clothes, so e dey very difficult to say whether dem belong to a certain body like Hezbollah or odas...

"But we dey see among dem old pipo or very young, like di child wey unfortunately die... and some of dem be healthcare workers," di minister tok.

Outside of Lebanon, 14 pipo injure in similar blasts for neighbouring Syria, according to UK-based campaign group di Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Di Hezbollah-Israel fight go escalate?

Hezbollah na padi-padi with Israel arch-nemesis for di region, Iran. Di group na part of Tehran Axis of Resistance and don dey engaged in a low-level war with Israel for months, dem dey frequently exchange rocket and missile fire across Israel northern border. Plenty communities don dey displaced from both sides.

Di blasts happun just hours after Israel security cabinet make di safe return of residents to di north of the country official war goal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tell one US official wey visit say Israel go "do wetin dey necessary to ensure im security".

Earlier on Monday, Israel domestic security agency say dem stop one Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a former official.

Despite di ongoing tensions, observers say till now, both sides don aim to dey show demsef without crossing di line into full-scale war. But fears dey say di situation fit go out of control, with Hezbollah wey already dey threaten to respond to Tuesday explosions.

Additional reporting by Frances Mao