Death by pager

Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up here.At 3:30 pm yesterday, old-fashione [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. At 3:30 pm yesterday, old-fashioned pagers held by Hezbollah militants across Lebanon and Syria exploded simultaneously, killing at least nine people, reportedly including an eight-year-old girl, and causing thousands of casualties. The slayings have ratcheted up tensions in a region already on the edge. The Iran-backed militia [blamed the attacks on Israel]( which is neither confirming nor denying responsibility. But its intelligence services have a long history of covertly planting bombs in cell phones and other communication devices of Palestinian militants and then remotely detonating them. Theories over how the pagers [became deadly handheld weapons]( include that they were intercepted before delivery and a small amount of explosives and a detonator were planted inside, and that they had been engineered so that their batteries would heat up until they exploded. Other experts said an electronic signal could have triggered the blasts. All the sabotage possibilities suggest a high level of technical sophistication, long-term planning, and daring. That’s in stark contrast to the low-tech devices — no microphone, camera or GPS signal to give their location away. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a February speech urged his followers to dispose of their smartphones, warning that Israel was watching. The presumed assault comes as Israel has ramped up its war rhetoric against Hezbollah and warned it could [launch an invasion into Lebanon]( if no diplomatic settlement is reached to end the fighting that began on Oct. 8 following Hamas’ attack on Israel. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced from the northern border. The cross-border fighting has intensified in recent weeks, and Hezbollah has threatened to respond forcefully to the pager killings. As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Cairo today in a bid to break the logjam [in the Gaza cease-fire talks]( the outlook for a broader Middle East war is suddenly looking more ominous. — [Marissa Newman]( WATCH: The moments after the explosions. Global Must Reads Some of Ukraine’s allies are starting to talk about how the fight against Russia’s invasion might end, raising concerns in other Western capitals that Kyiv may be forced into a premature cease-fire. As part of strategy discussions for the next year, officials are more seriously gaming out how a [negotiated end]( to the war could take shape, sources say, adding that nobody is pressuring President Volodomyr Zelenskiy into talks. Firefighters battle flames following a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday. Photographer: George Ivanchenko/Anadolu/Getty Images North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles today in a display of military hardware it has been [suspected of sending to Russia](. About a day before the test, Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui left for Moscow in a sign Pyongyang may be looking for support as it readies for a parliamentary meeting on Oct. 7 that is set to approve measures seen as raising tensions with South Korea. Ursula von der Leyen announced an ambitious restructuring of her European Commission, adopting some of former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s proposals aimed at [making the bloc more competitive](. Key roles in the European Union’s executive arm went to France, Spain and Italy to lead a fresh industrial strategy aimed at digitalizing the 27-nation bloc’s economy and making it more climate-friendly to better compete with the US and China. Under nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary has attracted some $20 billion in electric-vehicle-related investments since 2017 as it seeks to become a [beacon of battery production]( and give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm. But that core strategy is now in doubt as a sharp slowdown in European EV sales and deteriorating trade ties with China turn what was a bold attempt to put Hungary in the vanguard into a potential liability. The judicial reform that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signed into law Sunday is causing rifts in [the circles of the nation’s elite]( with group chats and social feeds erupting into heated exchanges rarely seen among the genteel upper class. The bill will replace most federal judges with democratically elected officials, and since Lopez Obrador and his Morena party dominate politics, that’s causing concern the country is losing a check on power and reverting to one-party rule. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran on [an unannounced visit]( just days after he held talks in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A US security panel has granted Nippon Steel permission to refile its plans to purchase United States Steel for $14.1 billion, likely pushing a decision on [the politically contentious takeover]( past the US elections in November, sources say. Mali’s army thwarted an attack on a military-training camp in the capital, Bamako, as unidentified assailants hit multiple targets across the city, [forcing a nearby airport to close]( as security forces fought off the gunmen. Elon Musk’s super political action committee is funneling $2.1 million to Republican candidates in battleground districts across the country, possibly helping [the world’s richest person]( build a bench of allies in Congress. Washington Dispatch Donald Trump said he [planned to meet]( with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week, the latest visit to the former president by a foreign leader or official as the world contemplates the possibility of him returning to power early next year. Modi, whom Trump described as “fantastic,” will be in the US this weekend and is scheduled to attend the Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, hosted by President Joe Biden. Then he heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. So far this year, the Republican nominee has met with Orban of Hungary and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Two people to watch today: Trump will hold a rally in Uniondale, on Long Island. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be campaigning nearby, in Manhattan and Brooklyn. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 1 and 5 p.m. ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day A group of developed nations will make a new push to reach an agreement to restrict funding of foreign oil and gas projects by their export-credit agencies. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development members have held talks on an initiative put forward by European nations last November without reaching any consensus. They [face a narrowing window]( to strike a deal before the US election and UN climate summit. And Finally The second apparent assassination attempt on Trump in barely two months is yet another reminder of the political violence that has [often shaped US history](. The killings of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley eventually led to Secret Service protection for the country’s chief executive, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy resulted in still tighter security. Even before the latest incident involving the Republican nominee, polls showed voters worried about possible violence surrounding this year’s vote. John F. Kennedy is struck by an assassin’s bullet as he travels through Dallas in a motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963. Photographer: Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images In the introduction of Monday’s edition, we incorrectly referred to a social media post by Laura Loomer as having been made ‘this week.’ It should have read ‘this month.’ We apologize for the error. More from Bloomberg - Check out our [Bloomberg Investigates]( film series about untold stories and unraveled mysteries - [Bloomberg Opinion]( for a roundup of our most vital opinions on business, politics, economics, tech and more - [Next Africa]( a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed - [Economics Daily]( for what the changing landscape means for policymakers, investors and you - [Green Daily]( for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance - Explore more newsletters at [Bloomberg.com](. 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