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.
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.
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.
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.
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