Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks

TEHRAN – Iran has banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, local media reported on Oct 12, weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon which were blamed on Israel.

“The entry of any electronic communication device, except mobile phones, in flight cabins or… in non-accompanied cargo, has been banned,” Isna news agency reported, citing Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation spokesman Jafar Yazerlo.

The decision came over three weeks after sabotage attacks targeting members of the Iran-allied Hezbollah group in Lebanon that saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 39 people.

Nearly 3,000 others were wounded in the attack, which Iran and Hezbollah blamed on Israel, including Tehran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani.

Earlier in October, Dubai-based airline Emirates banned pagers and walkie-talkies on board its planes.

Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, drawing in Iran-aligned groups from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Multiple airlines have in recent weeks suspended flights to Iran following Tehran’s missile attack on Israel on Oct 1.

Iran fired some 200 missiles at Israel to retaliate against the killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region and a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Israel has since vowed to retaliate, with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant saying the response will be “deadly, precise and surprising”. AFP