For years, Hezbollah members have moved around Lebanon unsuspected, unaware that they are part of the Iranian-backed militant group, the country’s most powerful military and political organization.

But in just one day and after two attacks, all that was lost when thousands of buzzers and radios exploded in their hands and belts. For now, the business has succeeded in crushing one of the most strategic features of Hezbollah: her secrecy.

As CNN comments, Hezbollah’s guerrilla tactics, developed during Israel’s 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, have made it an elusive enemy. These tactics of keeping its members secret are still used today even as Hezbollah has grown into one of the two main parties representing the Shiite community, Lebanon’s largest religious bloc.

Today, there are 13 elected Hezbollah MPs in parliament. Posters celebrating Hezbollah’s martyrs are also seen in many Shiite communities.

But its members make sure they are always dressed in civilian clothes in order not to become a target. Their covert presence contrasts with the Lebanese Forces who wear camouflage uniforms and guard checkpoints carrying rifles.

The attacks were therefore “a huge blow” to Hezbollah, wrote Amal Saad, an expert on Islamist movements.

He points out that during the 2006 Lebanon War, the group protected the lines of communication of grace to “primitive telecommunications network that relied on buzzers and an “internal” fiber optic line’. However, this advantage was lost when buzzers and radios became deadly weapons.

It is unclear whether all those carrying the communication devices were Hezbollah fighters, as the group’s state-in-state also supports hospitals, schools and other charities. So some may not be affiliated with Hezbollah.

“For Hezbollah members, the fact that Israel has been able to infiltrate easily for months should have a devastating effect on morale,” writes Michael Young, senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

While Hezbollah has vowed to respond to Israel, one thing is certain: it is likely trying to hide the extent of the damage to avoid, in part, sharing further secrets with its enemy.