Mass explosion in Lebanon
Insider: Israel manipulated pagers – manufacturer speaks out
Updated on September 18, 2024Reading time: 3 minutes
Hundreds of pagers explode at the same time in Lebanon. They were allegedly intercepted by Israeli agents on the delivery route and planted with explosives.
According to media reports, the radio receivers that exploded simultaneously and in their hundreds in Lebanon were probably previously prepared with explosives by Israeli agents. A small amount of explosives was hidden in 5,000 pagers made by Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo during production, a senior Lebanese security official and another person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Israeli agents intercepted the Taiwan-made devices before they arrived in Lebanon and rigged them with about 25 to 50 grams of explosives each, the New York Times reported, citing American and other officials who had been briefed on the operation.
“The Mossad planted a circuit board with explosives and a code in the device. It is very difficult to detect this by any means, even with devices or scanners,” said the Lebanese security official. The 5,000 pagers were ordered by the Lebanese Hezbollah group and brought into the country at the beginning of the year. 3,000 of the pagers exploded on Tuesday when an encrypted message was sent to them, which simultaneously activated the explosives. Israel did not immediately respond to queries from Reuters.
Manufacturer Gold Apollo denied allegations that the company manufactured the pagers used in the explosions. “The product wasn't ours. It just had our brand name on it,” said company founder Hsu Ching-Kuang. Gold Apollo told the German Press Agency that the pagers were manufactured by a company in Hungary that had the right to use the Taiwanese company's trademark. Gold Apollo is also a victim of the incident. “We are a responsible company. This is very embarrassing,” he said.
Hezbollah fighters use pagers as a simple means of communication to evade Israeli tracking on smartphones. According to insiders, the modified devices entered the country at the beginning of the year and went unnoticed for months.
It is possible that hackers caused the batteries in the pagers with malware to explode by heating them, the “Wall Street Journal” quoted the managing director of a US cybersecurity company as saying. But that would be very difficult. Not only would the hackers have to know the make and model exactly, but the effect would not have been as severe as videos of the explosions suggest, the expert said. In his opinion, it is also more likely that a delivery of pagers was intercepted on the way from the manufacturer to the destination and affixed with explosives and a code.
According to the Ministry of Health there, around 2,750 people were injured and nine people were killed in the simultaneous explosions in Lebanon. Many Hezbollah fighters are said to be among the injured, including members of the elite Radwan force. According to information from the US news portal Axios, the explosions also paralyzed a significant part of Hezbollah's military command and control system.
The attack carried out by Israel was aimed at unsettling Hezbollah and creating a feeling within the militia's ranks that it was completely penetrated by Israeli intelligence, Axios quoted an unidentified source as saying. Israel's army initially did not comment on the incidents, but indicated that it was preparing for retaliation.
Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi held a briefing on Tuesday evening that focused on “readiness in all areas, both offensive and defensive,” it said.
The pro-Iranian Shiite militia blamed Israel and vowed retaliation. The Lebanese parliament leader Nabih Berri, who is allied with Hezbollah, spoke of a “massacre and war crime by Israel.” In memory of the victims of the incidents and in protest, schools and universities in Lebanon will remain closed today.
The Iranian reaction was similar: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the explosions as an act of terrorism and blamed Israel as the culprit. The Islamic Republic of Iran is an important ally of the Hezbollah militia, both of which deny the Jewish state the right to exist. Araghchi expressed condolences to his Lebanese colleague Abdullah Bou Habib and offered Iran's support.