Residents in Lebanon’s capital Beirut are worried after thousands were injured in attacks involving exploding electronic devices.

Pagers used by Hezbollah exploded last week followed by walkie-talkies a day later in what appeared to be a planned attack.

Following the attacks, engineers and electronics shop owners in Beirut have noticed a shift in customer behaviour.

Nabil Balaa, a telecommunications engineer, says he has received numerous calls from customers asking what precautions to take such as “whether to hide their devices or to take out the battery”.

“People fear what they don’t understand,” Balaa said.

“The problem is with specific devices going to specific people. It was not distributed in the market or amongst the traders and institutions,” he added.

Fears over mobile phones

Samah Almasri, the owner of a mobile phone shop on Beirut’s Hamra high street, said the events had negatively impacted her sales.

“Everyone is now throwing their phones out of their hands; they feel like all phones are being monitored,” she said.

Meanwhile, Naji Karam, a local resident, says he’s not afraid.

“There are people who are afraid, of course, and others who are not. I am not afraid; I have my phone with me. However, those new mobile phones coming from abroad can be concerning,” Karam said.

The attacks, which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah, killed more than 30 people and injured over 3,000.

Many of those hurt in the attack suffered injuries to their hands, face and eyes because the devices received messages just before they detonated, so they were looking at the devices as they exploded.

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Video editor • Roselyne Min