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The flyer for the “Beeper Operation” boldly claims that “precision and ingenuity” led adversaries to unwittingly cause their own downfall.
Türk expressed concerns about the attack, highlighting that it targeted civilians and resulted in “numerous individuals suffering permanent disabilities.” He further noted that healthcare facilities are grappling with the extensive impact on the affected populace.
Event organizers confirmed to SBS News that they were responsible for distributing the flyer.
In response to inquiries from SBS News, the office of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke directed questions about the event to Victoria Police. The police have acknowledged awareness of the event and assured that they “will continue to oversee its proceedings, paying attention to any potential safety concerns.”
On 17 September 2024, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other Hezbollah strongholds, in most cases after the devices beeped, indicating an incoming message. Source: AAP / STR/AP
A group of UN human rights experts at the time called the operation a violation of international law.
Australia listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in 2021.
Organisers defend the event
Israel’s retaliatory bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 70,000 people, according to local health authorities.
Co-founder of Lions of Zion, Isaac Balbin, has stood by an event that aims to celebrate the 2024 Israeli pager attacks that killed 39 people and injured thousands, including civilians. Source: SBS News
Another Lions of Zion co-founder, Yaacov Travitz, told the Israel Connexion podcast in January that the group is not an organisation, and he preferred to call it a “movement”.
“We are teaching that if you are strong, you use that strength to defend, to protect … if you can do it in a way that’s incredibly precise and targeted to remove that threat with a minimum amount of damage, you’ve done an incredible thing,” Balbin said.
“The operation we’re celebrating at the event is possibly one of the most ingenious military operations in all of history,” he said.
‘How is this even legal?’
Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, said he first saw the flyer online in recent days.
Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, has raised concerns about the event going ahead. Source: SBS News
He said the celebration ought to be widely condemned, adding the flyer appeared to celebrate violence against civilians, and if a Lebanese or Muslim group praised a violent attack, they would be condemned.
“It is about propagating and promoting the actions of the Israel Defense Forces,” he said.
SBS News spoke with another group representing the Lebanese community, which also raised concerns about the event but asked not to be identified out of fear for their safety.
Concerns for social cohesion
Sarah Schwartz from the Jewish Council Australia said her organisation aims to foster connections between Jewish and Palestinian people. Source: SBS News
Sarah Schwartz from the Jewish Council of Australia — a group founded to represent progressive Australian Jews — said she had been contacted by members of her group who were concerned about his event engaging children in “militarised discourse and celebration of horrific attacks in Lebanon”.
SBS News contacted some other, larger Jewish community groups for this story, but they declined to comment.
