In a shocking and unprecedented attack, thousands of Hezbollah members across Lebanon were injured on Tuesday (Sep. 17) when their pagers simultaneously exploded, causing widespread chaos and casualties. The incident, which Hezbollah and Lebanese officials are attributing to Israel, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions between the two adversaries.
Sophisticated Attack on Communication Devices
According to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firas Abiad, at least 2,750 people were injured in the explosions, with approximately 200 in critical condition. The death toll has reached 11. The blasts primarily affected Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, as well as areas in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
The explosions targeted pagers recently acquired by Hezbollah, which the group had begun using to avoid potential tracking and targeted assassinations associated with mobile phones. The pagers were reportedly part of a new shipment intended to relay information about potential Israeli drone strikes and other attacks.
A Hezbollah official, speaking anonymously, described the incident as the group’s “most significant security breach” since the onset of the Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023.
Source of the Pagers
Initial reports suggested that the pagers involved in the explosions were manufactured by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company. However, Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, has since denied these claims. He clarified that while the pagers bore Gold Apollo’s brand, they were actually produced by a European company called BAC, which had licensing rights to use Gold Apollo’s branding. According to Hsu, “The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it”. This revelation adds another layer of complexity to the investigation, as it shifts focus from Taiwan to Europe in tracing the origin of these devices. The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that there were no records of direct shipments of these devices to Lebanon, suggesting that any modifications may have occurred after manufacture.
Mechanism of the Pager Explosions
The pager explosions that targeted Hezbollah members appear to have been the result of a sophisticated supply chain attack. According to security experts and unnamed officials cited in various reports, the pagers, manufactured by Gold Apollo in Taiwan, were likely intercepted and modified before reaching Lebanon. The devices are believed to have been fitted with small explosive charges, estimated to be between 1-3 grams of military-grade explosives such as TNT or HTB. These explosives were concealed within a fake electronic component, making them difficult to detect through standard security measures. The detonation mechanism is thought to have been triggered remotely, possibly through a coded alphanumeric message sent to the pagers.
This level of sophistication suggests a long-term operation, with some experts estimating that the planning could have begun up to 18 months before the actual attack. The unprecedented nature of this incident highlights the evolving landscape of cyber-physical warfare and the vulnerabilities in even seemingly secure communication networks.
