Middle East 'tinderbox': Any attack, escalation in conflict likely to inflame actions across region

Israel's Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by Lebanese group Hezbollah months before Tuesday's detonations that killed nine people, a senior Lebanese security source and another source told Reuters. The operation, with a trail running from Taiwan to Budapest, was an unprecedented Hezbollah security breach that saw thousands of pagers explode across Lebanon, wounding nearly 3,000 people, including many of the group's fighters and Iran's envoy to Beirut. The pager blasts came at a time of mounting concern about tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza conflict erupted last October. Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, whose military declined to comment on the blasts. As fears of an all-out regional conflict escalate, FRANCE 24's Eve Irvine is joined by Philip Ingram MBE, former British Military Intelligence Officer and investigative journalist specialising in security and intelligence arenas. 🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen 🔴 LIVE - Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN 🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/ Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen Follow us on X (Twitter): https://f24.my/Xen Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen