CAMERA’s Israel office yesterday prompted correction of a Los Angeles Times letter-to-the-editor which fabricated that Lebanese civilians not affiliated with Hezbollah had purchased the exploding pagers.
The indiscriminate pager explosions brought extreme trauma to civilians and the fear that Israel will again invade Lebanon. The pagers were not only purchased by Hezbollah, but also ordinary civilians.[Emphasis added.]
There is no evidence that civilians not affiliated with Hezbollah purchased the exploding pagers. As The New York Times reported in an in-depth investigation:
Hezbollah did not release figures on how many of its members were killed or injured, but the devices were distributed solely to its people, and multiple interviews with officials and relatives suggested that most of the victims were connected to the group, although some were civilians or had noncombat roles in the organization. [Emphasis added.]
The Los Angeles Times itself had reported (“Lebanon pager explosions appear to target Hezbollah,” Sept. 18):
A security expert speaking to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera said the pagers appeared to have been implanted with nearly an ounce of explosives. The person said that the pagers were part of a shipment of about 5,000 units brought in by Hezbollah. (Emphasis added.)
BEEPER OPERATION: ADDITIONAL DETAILS
– Hezbollah operatives were targeted through individually detonated pagers, with attackers knowing exactly who and where the targets were.
– The pagers were designed to look normal, ensuring the person carrying them wouldn’t suspect… pic.twitter.com/xJgc34j393
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 21, 2024
Similarly, The LA Times elsewhere reported (“Hezbollah strikes defiant tone despite huge blow,” Sept. 20): “It is believed Israel somehow intercepted a shipment of devices purchased by Hezbollah and packed them with explosives.”
Praising Mohamad Bazzi’s Op-Ed which appeared Sept. 23 in The Los Angeles Times, letter-writer George Mouro wrote: “Bazzi clearly summarizes the recent actions of Israel against Lebanon.” But Bazzi himself at no point asserted that ordinary Lebanese unaffiliated with Hezbollah purchased the pagers. To the contrary, he agreed with New York Times reporting that those with non-combat roles within Hezbollah were likely also harmed:
The attack detonated thousands of bombs across a country roughly the size of Connecticut – in grocery stores, hospitals, sidewalk cafes and barber shops and at funerals. Children, medical workers and innocent bystanders were killed and maimed. In a statement after the first wave of explosions, Hezbollah noted that it had issued pagers “to employees of various units and institutions,” hinting that the devices were distributed not only to its fighters but also to civilian workers. The group is not only Lebanon’s most dominant military force but also its most powerful political party, and it runs an extensive social-service network including schools, hospitals, supermarkets and credit unions. [Emphasis added.]
Editors agreed with CAMERA that a correction was in order and yesterday commendably and promptly published the following correction next to the digital version of the letter:
A Sept. 28 letter stated that the exploding pagers targeting Hezbollah “were not only purchased by Hezbollah, but also ordinary civilians.” Reports to not substantiate the claim that the pagers were sold to “ordinary civilians.” According to reports, the devices were distributed to Hezbollah fighters and its civilian workers.
As of this writing, the paper has yet to publish a correction in the print edition where the letter also appeared.