Wednesday Briefing: Exploding pagers kill at least 9 in Lebanon

September 18, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering an attack in Lebanon involving exploding pagers and changes to teen accounts on Instagram.

Plus, China’s booming “silver economy.”

Lebanese army soldiers stand near an ambulance driving through a crowded street in Beirut.

Lebanese army soldiers in the streets of Beirut yesterday. Anwar Amro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Pagers exploded across Lebanon in an apparent attack on Hezbollah

Hundreds of pagers blew up at approximately the same time across Lebanon yesterday, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding more than 2,700, according to the health minister.

Hezbollah said pagers belonging to its members had exploded, and accused Israel of being responsible. The Israeli military declined to comment. We have live updates.

Earlier this week, Israeli leaders warned that they were considering stepping up their military campaign against Hezbollah. Concerns have grown for months that a larger war could erupt between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was also wounded when a pager he was carrying exploded.

At the scene: Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from people’s pockets, followed by small blasts that sounded like fireworks or gunshots. Videos show widespread chaos, with people being knocked off their feet and others sustaining gruesome injuries.

Details: Senior members of Hezbollah have used pagers for years, but the practice became more widespread after the Oct. 7 attacks, security experts said. During yesterday’s attack, the pagers were programmed to beep for several seconds and then explode.

Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, with roughly a dozen people in the foreground, most holding up cameras to record her.

Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Pennsylvania last week. Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Harris and Trump ramp up ad war in final campaign stretch

The presidential candidates and their allies plan to spend more than half a billion dollars on television and radio advertising over the final seven weeks of the campaign, according to an advertising tracking firm. Groups backing Vice President Kamala Harris have reserved $332 million worth of airtime for television and radio ads, while just about $194 million will come from groups backing Donald Trump.

The heightened ad wars are a consequence of the fund-raising wars: Democrats have significantly out-raised Republicans in the months since Harris succeeded President Biden as the head of the Democratic ticket. The candidates and their allies will spend the most in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state — $133 million in all.

More on the U.S. election

Americans head to the polls in less than 50 days.

The second apparent assassination attempt against Trump has the rest of the world worried that the election won’t end well and that American democracy is near a breaking point.
Ryan Routh, the suspect charged in the assassination attempt, could eventually face more serious charges.
The Secret Service told Trump that significantly more security arrangements would be needed if he wanted to continue safely playing golf.
Harris participated in a discussion with Black journalists, her second high-profile campaign interview so far.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

A picture of a child holding up a phone.

Anthony Gerace

Instagram announced changes to teen accounts

Instagram said yesterday that the accounts of users younger than 18 would soon be made private by default, which means that only followers approved by an account-holder may see their posts. The changes will be rolled out in the U.S., Canada, Britain and Australia over the next two months, while teenagers in other countries could see the changes starting in January.

The app has been facing intensifying pressure over children’s safety online. How effective the changes will be is unclear. Here’s what else you need to know.

MORE TOP NEWS

Gisèle Pelicot, wearing sunglasses and a printed dress, walks down the street between two men in suits.

Gisèle Pelicot, the ex-wife of Dominique Pelicot, arriving at the Avignon courthouse. Christophe Simon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

France: Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of inviting strangers to rape his wife while she was drugged, testified at his trial: “She didn’t deserve this,” he said.
Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party has lost a seat it had held for decades in Montreal, a defeat that is likely to increase pressure on Trudeau to resign.
U.S.: Sean Combs, the music mogul, was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be considering firing his defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
Ukraine: U.S. and European officials are struggling to honor their pledge to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine.
Mali: An Islamist group tied to Al Qaeda said it was responsible for an assault on two military sites in the capital, Bamako.
Britain: The parent company of The Guardian is in talks to sell The Observer to the start-up Tortoise Media.
Portugal: More than 5,000 personnel are battling wildfires that began over the weekend. At least four people have died.
E.U: Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, announced her new team as she navigates challenges, including the rise of nationalist forces.

Sports

Manchester City's midfielder Rodri speaking during a press conference.

Manchester City's midfielder Rodri during a news conference yesterday. Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Soccer: The Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players were “close” to going on strike over the expanded soccer schedule.
Basketball: Michael Jordan’s Illinois mansion, most recently listed for almost $14.9 million, is under contract after 12 years on the market.
Baseball: The Colorado Rockies will retire their City Connect uniforms at the end of the season.

MORNING READ

Women on a stage inside a shopping mall wearing red and black.

A group of older women at a promotional fair organized at a mall. Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times

Chinese dairy companies that once produced baby formula are now developing powdered milks for seniors. That’s one example of businesses changing course in China’s aging society. The “silver economy” — the industry serving seniors — is thriving.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

More grown up: London Fashion Week just turned 40. What happens when a wild child of dress hits middle age?
A D.I.Y. wonderland: How a collective of artists turned a crumbling Brussels building into its own creative playground.
White-nose syndrome: A fungus decimated American bats. Now scientists are fighting back.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

In a movie scene, Ralph Fiennes, wearing a red skullcap and an ornate magenta robe, looks concerned. His hands are clasped and he’s surrounded by other figures in robes similar to his.

Ralph Fiennes in “Conclave.” Focus Features, via Associated Press

Movies that got noticed at the film festivals

Film festivals in Venice, Telluride and Toronto have concluded, which means the countdown to the big prize, the Oscars, has begun.

Two movies already look like significant contenders, Kyle Buchanan, our awards season columnist, writes. “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, is a thriller about sneaky cardinals plotting to pick a new pope. “The Brutalist,” an ambitious film by Brady Corbet, chronicles the epic tribulations of a Jewish architect, played by Adrien Brody, after World War II.

But while the last two years were dominated by “Oppenheimer” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” this race seems much more wide open, Kyle writes.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Top down view of a plate of chicken au poivre.

Armando Rafael for The New York Times

Cook: A kick of lemon juice brightens the velvety sauce in this chicken au poivre.

Listen: An album by the Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from 1990 has been discovered in the vaults of Peter Gabriel’s label.

Read: “Rejection” by Tony Tulathimutte is an entrancing look at young, alienated, unloved people.

Exercise: To prevent injury, train your tendons.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

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