The coffin of one of the four victims of the pager explosions is carried during their funeral in Ghobeiri, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, on Sept. 18, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
“It’s nothing! It’s nothing!” Despite a man in the crowd’s desperate shouts, it was already too late — an explosion echoed through Aref Naamani Street in Ghobeiri on Wednesday, during the funeral procession for four victims of the previous day’s pager explosions. The street immediately erupted into chaos. People ran in every direction as a voice shouted, “Throw away your devices! Turn them off and throw them now!”After a moment of hesitation, people began to comply, gathering to toss their smartphones, while others retreated. Some even smashed their phones on the ground.“Are they going to blow them up?” a terrified woman asked her neighbor.Two long minutes later, none of the 30 phones thrown to the ground exploded. The crowd cautiously picked up their belongings and rejoined the procession.“The screen is gone, it’s dead,” sighed one...
“It’s nothing! It’s nothing!” Despite a man in the crowd’s desperate shouts, it was already too late — an explosion echoed through Aref Naamani Street in Ghobeiri on Wednesday, during the funeral procession for four victims of the previous day’s pager explosions. The street immediately erupted into chaos. People ran in every direction as a voice shouted, “Throw away your devices! Turn them off and throw them now!”After a moment of hesitation, people began to comply, gathering to toss their smartphones, while others retreated. Some even smashed their phones on the ground.“Are they going to blow them up?” a terrified woman asked her neighbor.Two long minutes later, none of the 30 phones thrown to the ground exploded. The crowd cautiously picked up their belongings and rejoined the procession.“The screen is...