How Taiwan-Made Pagers Were Turned Into Explosive Devices Months Before The Blasts In Lebanon?

People gather outside AUBMC in Beirut as over 1,000, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, are injured by exploding pagers. September 17, 2024. (Top Right: Reuters)

The Hezbollah communication devices that exploded throughout Lebanon and in Syria were the latest model

Hundreds of Taiwan-made pagers used by members of Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and injuring over 3000. The blasts were a result of new handheld devices that the Lebanese outfit had recently acquired, which were modified to include small explosives.

Taiwan-made pagers

Israeli intelligence is believed to be behind the attack, having planted explosives within the pagers before their delivery to Hezbollah. This operation involved injecting explosive materials into 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers ordered by the Lebanese group months before the detonations. The Israeli spy agency reportedly placed a quantity of PETN, a highly explosive material, on the batteries of the devices, and detonated them by raising the temperature of the batteries from afar, reports said.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned members against using cellphones due to concerns over surveillance by Israeli forces. As a result, the group had transitioned to using pagers for secure communication. However, this shift backfired when the devices began to heat up and explode in users’ pockets or hands. An unnamed Hezbollah official told The Wall Street Journal that some Hezbollah members felt their pagers heating up and disposed of them before they exploded.

‘A coded message was sent to them’

Hezbollah officials have accused Israel of executing a “security operation” targeting their communication devices. They claim that the explosions were not merely accidents but part of a deliberate attack aimed at undermining the group’s operational capabilities. “The Mossad injected a board inside of the device that has explosive material that receives a code. It’s very hard to detect it through any means. Even with any device or scanner,” an unnamed source told Reuters. They said that 3,000 of the pagers exploded when “a coded message was sent” to them, simultaneously activating the explosives.

This incident marks a significant escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid ongoing tensions related to the conflict in Gaza. Israeli officials have not commented on the allegations but have indicated that they may intensify military operations against Hezbollah in response to ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon. According to Israeli media, this attack shows a new level of operational sophistication by Israel, potentially indicating a shift in tactics against its adversaries. As investigations continue into how these pagers were compromised and detonated, Hezbollah has vowed to respond with “fair punishment” for what it views as an act of aggression against its members and sovereignty.