Israel reportedly conducted a covert operation against Hezbollah by embedding explosive devices inside Taiwanese-made pagers, according to American and other officials briefed on the matter. The pagers, ordered by Hezbollah from the Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, were tampered with before reaching Lebanon, officials revealed.
The shipment primarily consisted of Gold Apollo’s AR924 model, with three other models also included. Explosives, measuring one to two ounces, were hidden near the battery in each pager, and the devices were equipped with a remote detonation switch, according to sources.
Remote Detonation of Pagers
At 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the pagers received a message that appeared to come from Hezbollah’s leadership, which instead triggered the explosives. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the attack killed at least 11 people and injured more than 2,700. The devices beeped for several seconds before exploding, according to three officials familiar with the operation.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack but has not provided detailed information. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the operation.
Gold Apollo’s Response
Gold Apollo distanced itself from the incident, stating that the pagers involved had been manufactured under license by B.A.C. Consulting, a company based in Budapest. Attempts to reach B.A.C. have been unsuccessful so far, and calls to the company’s listed number went unanswered.
Cybersecurity experts who analyzed footage of the explosions suggested that the force and speed of the blasts indicated the presence of sophisticated explosive material, not just the standard pager batteries. Mikko Hypponen, a cybercrime specialist at WithSecure and an adviser to Europol, emphasized that the pagers were likely modified for such a destructive purpose.
Targeting Hezbollah’s Vulnerability
According to Keren Elazari, an Israeli cybersecurity expert and researcher at Tel Aviv University, the operation exploited a key vulnerability within Hezbollah’s communication network. Earlier this year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had restricted the use of cellphones due to concerns about Israeli surveillance, making the group more reliant on less secure communication devices like pagers.
“This attack hit them at their Achilles’ heel by taking out a central means of communication,” Elazari noted. She also highlighted that while there have been previous attacks on pagers, this particular operation demonstrated an unprecedented level of sophistication.
Widespread Impact
More than 3,000 pagers were reportedly ordered from Gold Apollo, and Hezbollah distributed them to its members throughout Lebanon, with some units even reaching allies in Iran and Syria. The explosions were limited to those pagers that were switched on and receiving messages at the time of the attack. The exact timeline of when the pagers were ordered and arrived in Lebanon remains unclear.
As tensions escalate, this incident highlights the complex nature of modern warfare and the use of advanced technology in covert operations. The fallout from this attack is likely to intensify the already strained relations between Israel and Hezbollah.