Iranʼs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) banned its members from using all communications devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah exploded.
This was reported by high-ranking Iranian security officials to Reuters.
Currently, IRGC is conducting a large-scale operation to check all devices, not just communication equipment. Most of them are made in Iran or imported from China and Russia. In addition, Tehran is examining detonated pagers and walkie-talkies delivered to it from Lebanon to make a technical assessment.
There are no details of how the forces of the Kyrgyz Republic, numbering 190 000 servicemen, communicate.
"For now, we use end-to-end encryption in messaging systems," said an Iranian security official.
The IRGC members are also being investigated because Iran is concerned about infiltration by Israeli agents. The investigation targeted middle- and high-ranking members. Their Iranian and foreign bank accounts and their familiesʼ travel history are checked.
"Never before have there been such strict security measures, such extreme measures as now," another Reuters source added.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a political, military and economic force in Iran with close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRGC has its own ground forces, navy and air force that control Iranʼs strategic weapons. The IRGC is influential in the Middle East and helps allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Yemeni Houthis and militias in Iraq.
What preceded
On September 17, hundreds of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon. Because of this, 12 people died, almost 3 thousand were injured. Reuters, citing sources, writes that Israelʼs foreign intelligence service Mossad planted explosives in 5 000 pagers imported by the Lebanese Hezbollah group a few months before the explosions. ABC News notes that Israel has been preparing for the operation for at least 15 years. The Israeli president has officially denied the countryʼs involvement in blowing up pagers in Lebanon.
On September 18, a repeated series of explosions thundered in Lebanon. Walkie-talkies used by members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group and car radios were detonated. 14 people died, another 450 were injured. On the same day, Israel announced a "new phase" of the war — it would be fought mainly in the north of the country, which borders Lebanon. Since then, firefights between the IDF and Hezbollah have intensified.
On September 20, IDF struck the high command of the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Beirut. As of September 22, the death toll was 45.