Hezbollah faced a significant setback as a series of pager explosions rocked Lebanon, resulting in 12 fatalities and over 2,800 injuries, including 400 critical cases. The Ministry of Public Health, Lebanon, confirmed the updated figures on Wednesday. This alarming incident, which also affected Syria, coincided with Israel's renewed focus on combating Hezbollah following intense airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza.
On Tuesday, a series of deadly blasts began at about 3:30 pm local time and lasted for around an hour.
As tensions rise in the region, the implications of these attacks could reshape the ongoing conflict.
Pagers are a mode of communication that cannot be hacked. The devices display a short text message for the user, relayed by telephone through a central operator.
Unlike mobile phones, pagers work on radio waves. The operator sends a message by radio frequency–rather than the internet–unique to the recipient’s device.
The basic technology used in pagers and reliance on physical hardware means they are harder to monitor, making them popular with groups such as Hezbollah, where both mobility and security are paramount.
Hezbollah's recent communications strategy took a dangerous turn when it was revealed that the group’s pagers, ordered from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, had been tampered with. According to reports from The New York Times and Reuters, Israel's Mossad spy agency implanted small amounts of explosive RDX (hexogen) in 5,000 pagers before they arrived in Lebanon.
Most of the devices were the AR-924 model, with three additional models included in the shipment. The devices were programmed to beep for several seconds before exploding, NYT said.
The explosives, reportedly as little as three grams, were strategically placed next to the battery in each pager. A remote-trigger switch was also embedded, allowing for the detonation of the pagers.
Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX), also known as cyclonite or hexogen, is a highly powerful white powder commonly used in military applications. Classified as a nitroamine, RDX is more energetic than traditional explosives like TNT and is often utilised in demolition and munitions due to its stability and effectiveness.
At 3:30 pm in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership, NYT reported. Instead, the message activated the explosives.
Some speculation has focused on the radio network that pagers rely on, suggesting that it may have been hacked, causing the system to emit a signal that triggered a response within the already doctored pagers.
The modification allegedly done by Mossad included a remote-trigger mechanism in the pager that was activated by a seemingly innocuous message received on the pagers.
The devices were programmed to emit three beeps before exploding, NYT reported.
If a pager's lithium battery overheats, it can initiate a process called thermal runaway, resulting in a chemical chain reaction that increases temperature and can lead to a violent explosion, explains Al Jazeera.
However, triggering this reaction in multiple devices that have never been connected to the internet is a complex challenge.
The recent pager explosions in Lebanon and Syria were linked to devices manufactured by Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT, according to a statement from Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, whose branding was featured on the devices.
However, later in the day Hungarian government issued a statement saying that the pagers that detonated were never in Hungary, refutinmg earlier statements.
