Tehran, Sep 23 (V7N)— The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has imposed a temporary ban on the use of all communication devices by its members following a series of explosions involving pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, which has raised concerns about security. The ban will remain in place until all devices undergo thorough inspection, according to two senior Iranian security officials who spoke to Reuters on Monday.

The decision comes after around 3,000 Hezbollah pagers exploded simultaneously last Tuesday, followed by hundreds of walkie-talkies the next day, leading to the deaths of 39 people and injuring over 3,000. Hezbollah and Lebanon have labelled the incidents as deliberate attacks, accusing Israel of being behind them, though Israel has yet to comment.

The IRGC, which is already on alert for potential Israeli intelligence infiltration, is scrutinising all middle- to high-ranking officers, checking their bank accounts, family members, and travel history to prevent internal espionage.

An official revealed that the devices being examined include those produced domestically or imported from China and Russia. Hezbollah has sent some of the explosive devices to Tehran for analysis, and Iranian experts are working to understand the technology used.

While the IRGC has yet to clarify how its 190,000-strong force is maintaining internal communications without their usual devices, it is reported that end-to-end encryption is being used for secure message transmission.

END/RH/AJ