Hezbollah Pagers Explosion: A spate of blasts struck wireless communication equipment owned by the militant group Hezbollah across Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday. According to reports, the devices, identified as Taiwan-made pagers, were rigged with explosives by Israel’s Mossad spy agency months before the blasts. As per several reports with references to senior Lebanese security sources, 5,000 pagers were smuggled into Lebanon during April and May, with Mossad reportedly planting explosive material inside the devices.
Coordinated Explosions Target Hezbollah’s Communication Devices
The blasts, killing at least nine persons and maiming thousands, were allegedly triggered by an encrypted message to their pagers, where it caused the tiny explosives to explode simultaneously. Reports mentioned that these pagers were requested by the Hezbollah militant group supported by Iran, and have been used as low-tech messaging in order to avoid Israeli tracking. The bombs exploded everywhere, with more than 100 reported blasts in Syria alone.
According to a senior Lebanese security source, as Reuters report the pagers have been tampered with to fit a small but powerful explosive charge. “Mossad injected a board inside 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,” the source said. The explosives used in the attack, reportedly PETN, high-energy chemical compound, were placed in the pager batteries. The material intended for detonation is aimed at being accessed through remote access with the increase in the temperature of the batteries.
Taiwan Made Pagers Turn Deadly
The pagers had been manufactured by Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo and were identified as model AP924. Photos of the damaged devices were confirmed to be of the right origin, showing designs from that manufacturer. Security sources said the quantity of explosives in each pager was less than 20 grams but was enough to cause tremendous damage.
Lebanese authorities said yesterday that they had opened an investigation into how the bombs were set off, although it was obvious the attack had been months in preparation and took hours of meticulous planning and execution.
Hezbollah Blames Israel
Hezbollah has been fighting with Israel in an armed conflict for years. It quickly condemned the attack and blamed Israel for orchestrating the blasts. The group vowed revenge, announcing that “its fair punishment” awaits Israel for the deadly blasts. Similar rhetoric was aired by Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary, who described the incident as “Israeli aggression.”
The explosions further escalated tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, who have been clashing along the borders since Hamas staged a bombardment against Israel in October. The Israeli government has been mum over the developments and the claims of the Hezbollah group as well as the Lebanon government.
Israel’s History of Using Explosives in Targeted Operations
This is not exactly something new for Israel. Formerly, supposedly, comparable tactics were employed during other targeted operations against militant leaders. Israel’s espionage agency, Shin Bet, allegedly included RDX explosives in a mobile phone and detonated them for the murder of the Hamas leader Yahya Ayyash in 1996. The target person answered his phone; it exploded, and he was dead instantly. This latest operation shares a striking similarity with a previous one indicating Israel uses those methods once again to neutralize what they feel are threats from militant groups.
The militant group has threatened to retaliate as Hezbollah continues to mourn the loss of its fighters and civilians. Lebanon is already facing a fragile region, so maintaining stability will be another challenge in this case. The ongoing conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel continue fueling tensions and could, at some point, give rise to further escalations in the not-too-distant future.