NEWS GLEAMS | Mass Electronic Device Explosions in Lebanon; State Attorney General Debate on Thursday, Sept. 19

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

For the second day in a row, communications devices, such as pagers and walkie-talkies, have exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria in what looks like a coordinated, long-term terrorist attack targeting members of the militant group Hezbollah. Pagers that Hezbollah members had held for more than five months exploded nearly simultaneously on Sept. 17. The mass incident killed at least 12, left over 300 in critical condition, and injured around 2,800, with some facing serious eye damage and limb injuries that have led to amputations.

While funeral processions were taking place for those who were killed the first day, additional devices exploded on Sept. 18, including handheld radios, laptops, solar panels, and a number of other not-yet-confirmed objects. The second attack was similarly deadly, resulting in 14 dead and 450 wounded, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese government, and numerous analysts and media outlets across the world, including in Israel, assume the attacks were carried out by the Israeli state, but Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks. A Lebanese security official told Reuters that Israel’s spy agency Mossad had planted explosives inside the pagers months before they were attained by Hezbollah.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of the attacks and was not involved. He added that the U.S. has been “very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza.”

Hezbollah had begun using the pagers months ago, under the assumption that they would be a safer form of communication than cellphones. A Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, has denied involvement in the creation or design of the pagers, claiming that the production was done by BAC Consulting, a company based in Budapest, Hungary, that separately licenses the company’s logo and branding. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Hungarian prime minister posted on X that “authorities have confirmed that [BAC Consulting] is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. … the referenced devices have never been in Hungary.”

Following the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas operatives infiltrated Israel, killing nearly 1,200 and taking around 250 hostages, Hezbollah opened a Lebanese front against Israel in an attempt to ease pressures from Israeli attacks on Gaza. Tensions have escalated between Hezbollah and Israel in recent months, including a high-profile assassination of a top Hezbollah military commander in Beirut in July 2024, just a week after the head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Iran.

The explosions on Monday and Tuesday, which have greatly affected Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure, may bring Hezbollah members out more visibly in public. Military analysts are mixed on their opinions about whether or not the explosions may serve as deterrence efforts or are the precursor to deeper military actions. Hezbollah has vowed a “severe reckoning” over the attacks and is undertaking an investigation into the source of the compromised devices.

Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian graduate student, was killed in January 2023 after a Seattle police officer struck Kandula while she was crossing the street in a crosswalk. The officer, Kevin Dave, had been traveling 74 mph in a 25-mph zone and was not using a siren. On Feb. 21, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that Dave would not face charges for the incident.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) released bodycam footage that showed fellow officer Daniel Auderer, vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, joking and laughing about Kandula’s death after he responded to the scene. Of Kandula, he said that the government should “just write a check. $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”

Earlier this month, Kandula’s family filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court against the City of Seattle. The family is asking for $110 million plus $11,000, the amount referenced by Auderer. Attorneys for the family wrote that Kandula had “experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying.”

The lawsuit also alleges that the SPD had been negligent in hiring Dave, as he has a “checkered history” in law enforcement. Dave was previously terminated by the Tucson Police Department for misconduct, poor performance, a “preventable collision,” and an incident in which he was suspected of being under the influence.

Auderer has filed his own tort claim against the City of Seattle for $20 million in damages. SPD fired him in July, and Auderer’s lawsuit claims that he was wrongfully terminated and that he has faced mental suffering and damage to his personal reputation. As he says in his tort claim, “Seattle PD leaked false information concerning wrongfully initiated disciplinary proceedings as well as my personal information, including my home addresses. SPD then wrongfully terminated me. This was retaliatory at least due to my union leadership.”

Vonda Sargent, attorney for the Kandula family, told PubliCola that the family intends to set up a foundation in Kandula’s memory if they win the lawsuit against the City of Seattle. “You send your child to a foreign country to educate herself, to make herself better, to help the family, and she’s taken from you. And then when she’s taken from you, it’s turned into an international joke. You have people laughing and guffawing about the loss of your daughter,” Sargent stated. “The family wants justice. They want some accountability. Because it should have never happened.”

On Thursday, Sept. 19, the Seattle CityClub and the Washington State Debate Coalition will be hosting a free public debate between Nick Brown and Pete Serrano, the two candidates for Washington State attorney general. The winning candidate will take over the role held by current Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is currently running for Washington State governor.

Debate moderators will include Hana Kim of FOX 13, Laurel Demkovich of WSS, Shauna Sowersby of Cascade PBS, and Libby Denkmann of KUOW.

The free event is first-come, first-served and will take place at the Seattle Central College Auditorium in Capitol Hill. Doors will open promptly at 7 p.m. and close at 7:50 p.m. The debate will begin promptly at 8 p.m. and last for an hour. No political signage, literature, or apparel will be allowed inside the venue. Visit Seattle CityClub’s website for more details.

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