A few weeks ago, the world was shaken by news of hundreds of exploding pagers in Lebanon, primarily belonging to members of the militant Hezbollah movement. On September 17, at 3:30 p.m., thousands of Hezbollah fighters received a message on their devices that appeared to be a legitimate notification from their superiors. Just a few seconds after receiving it, the pagers began exploding en masse. The Israeli secret service Mossad orchestrated this operation, remotely detonating the pagers. The following day, another wave of attacks was launched.
As more information about the incident emerged, details surfaced about the high level of sophistication of this operation. The detonation could have been triggered in two ways. The first method aimed to completely neutralise the fighters, preventing them from further engagement in combat against Israel. The pagers were designed so that recipients of encrypted messages had to press two different buttons simultaneously to read the message. The buttons were spaced far enough apart to require both hands to press at the same time. This was intended to maximise harm, ensuring that the terrorists would lose both hands at once, making future combat participation impossible. On the day of the operation, the terrorists received a message reading, “You have received an encrypted message.” The moment they pressed the buttons to read it, the devices exploded in their hands.
However, Israel left nothing to chance and had a backup plan to detonate the devices even if Hezbollah members did not touch them. This backup plan involved using an electric signal to trigger the pager explosion, though this would cause only a smaller explosion. Since Mossad aimed to inflict as much damage as possible, they decided to remotely detonate all remaining devices one minute after the message was received. People were falling to the ground in agony; some crashed their motorcycles, others collided with walls, and smoke rose from their pockets. According to estimates, approximately 12 people died, and more than 2,800 individuals were left in serious condition.
The idea for this operation dates back to 2022, when Mossad decided to take drastic action against growing threats from neighbouring countries. In crafting its plan, Israel cleverly exploited statements made by Hezbollah’s now-deceased leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who had banned the use of smartphones, claiming they could be too easily monitored and could be exploited by Tel Aviv’s advanced surveillance capabilities. Consequently, Hezbollah opted for an older yet supposedly more secure technology – pagers. These devices were considered secure from hacking and unlikely to reveal sensitive information, such as location data. This decision sparked Israel’s unprecedented operation.
The plan was highly sophisticated and required the establishment of a fictitious company posing as a legitimate communications technology vendor. The pagers were supposedly produced by the Hungarian company B.A.C. Consulting, which was supplying technology on behalf of a Taiwanese entity, Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo has strongly denied any involvement or knowledge of the operation. Secret sources within Israeli institutions indicate that two more fictitious companies were created to further mask Tel Aviv’s involvement in the manufacturing process. To appear credible, the Hungarian company also had to accept “unremarkable” clients, though its primary target was Hezbollah. Devices intended for Lebanon were manufactured differently than those for other clients, with a few milligrams of PETN explosive material added to the pagers. The first modified devices started arriving in Lebanon in limited quantities as early as 2022. Following the leader’s directive against using smartphones, the number of pagers in the country rose significantly. Then Mossad only had to wait for the “right moment” to launch the operation.
The second wave of attacks came a day later
Less than a day passed, and Lebanon faced another wave of widespread device explosions. This time, the targets were walkie-talkies. These also began exploding en masse, though this wave resulted in significantly more civilian injuries, as the radios were used not only by terrorists but also by regular people. The attack left about 20 dead (including four children) and hundreds injured. The tragedy of this operation is captured in the story of a little girl named Fatima, who heard her father’s walkie-talkie beeping and decided to bring it to him. While carrying it, the device exploded in her hands, killing her instantly.
A surprising revelation is that the infection of these radios began several years before the pager plan was even conceived. This part of the operation started in 2015, meaning that Hezbollah fighters unknowingly used dangerous technology for nearly a decade. In this case, the Israelis managed to modify the radio batteries, inserting a few grams of explosives. Although the batteries were slightly larger due to the modification, this was presented as a benefit, supposedly offering longer battery life. Experts had expertly concealed the explosives, making them nearly undetectable, even in detailed X-ray testing. Hezbollah subjected the devices to several tests but concluded they were safe. As a result, Israel had unrestricted access to Hezbollah’s internal communications for a full nine years. The greatest irony in this situation is that for years, Hezbollah fighters paid for these “secure technologies” to their biggest rival. In reality, by purchasing the devices, they unwittingly financed the deaths and injuries of thousands of their own members.
Why now?
The question remains: why did Israel decide to launch this operation at this specific time? With the ongoing war in Gaza, the security situation in the region was gradually deteriorating. Since the outbreak of the conflict, various groups began siding with Palestine, one of which was Hezbollah. For months, Hezbollah had been bombing northern Israeli territories, including the Golan Heights, where innocent civilians also lost their lives. The mounting discussion about potential threats from the north led Mossad to take more radical steps to neutralise them. The most effective strategy was to disable Hezbollah’s internal communication, deliver an unexpected blow, and instil widespread panic. This goal was achieved with the exploding devices. Hezbollah had no idea that their “secure” communication technologies contained explosives and were being monitored—a deeply humiliating revelation for the group. This attack also triggered widespread panic among the public, as it was unclear whether other devices were similarly compromised or if another wave of explosions was imminent. In the initial days, Hezbollah leaders advised people to remove the batteries from all devices and avoid using anything for safety. Besides the physical consequences, the operation had significant psychological impacts. Although experts pointed out that infecting mobile phones was unrealistic, these reassurances didn’t always reach the Lebanese public. Numerous hoaxes circulated online in the first few days, further fueling the paranoia. Various disinformation narratives spread, from exploding solar panels on rooftops to exploding laptops, leaving people feeling uncertain and with shattered illusions about their safety.
Another crucial question is the extent to which Israel’s actions were legitimate and legal. Several experts argue that Israel’s attack could potentially be classified as a terrorist act. International law strictly prohibits targeting civilians who are not directly involved in combat and requires distinction between military and civilian targets. This was not observed here, as Mossad could not have known who would be affected by the attacks, and innocent children also lost their lives. If the intent was to spread fear among the population, this would align with a key aspect of a terrorist act.
The picture was adapted from the original design, which was sourced from https://www.mehrnews.com/news/6229612/انفجار-مجدد-دستگاه-های-ارتباطی-در-لبنان