Iran's Guards ban communications devices after hit on Hezbollah: Report

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is under way by the IRGC to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.

Iran was concerned about infiltration by Israeli agents, including Iranians on Israel's payroll and a thorough investigation of personnel has already begun, targeting mid and high-ranking members of the IRGC, added the official, who declined to be identified. "This includes scrutiny of their bank accounts both in Iran and abroad, as well as their travel history and that of their families," the security official said.

Iran's foreign, defence and interior ministries were not immediately available to respond to the comments made by the security officials.

In a coordinated attack, the pager devices detonated on Tuesday across Hezbollah's strongholds. On Wednesday, hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies exploded. The attacks killed 39 people and injured more than 3,000 people.

Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel was behind the attacks. Israel has neither denied nor confirmed involvement.

The security official declined to give details on how the IRGC force, comprising 190,000 personnel, are communicating. "For now, we are using end-to-end encryption in messaging systems," he said. According to the same official, there is widespread concern among Iran's ruling establishment. IRGC officials have reached out to Hezbollah for technical assessments, and several examples of exploded devices have been sent to Tehran for examination by Iranian experts.

Another Iranian official said the Islamic Republic's main concern was the protection of the country's nuclear and missile facilities, particularly those underground.

Prez: Israel laying traps to lead Iran into war
Iran’s president accused Israel on Monday of seeking a wider war in West Asia and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict. Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran doesn’t want to see the current war in Gaza and air strikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded. He said while Israel insists it doesn’t want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise. Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel. (AP)