On 17th September, a large number of pagers used by the Hezbollah terror group exploded across Lebanon. The exploding pagers killed at least eight Hezbollah members. At least 2,750 were reported injured in the incident, 200 of them are critical as per available updates.
The majority of the pagers exploded in regions where Hezbollah has a strong presence. Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist organisation, which also has political presence, is backed by Iran. Several CCTV videos of the blasts were shared online, pointing towards a sophisticated and well-planned attack on the terrorist organisation, possibly by Israel.
It’s reported that possibly over a thousand Hezbollah terrorists were killed or injured when a cyberattack on their secure cellphones and pagers caused them to explode.
— Cheryl E 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🎗️ (@CherylWroteIt) September 17, 2024
It’s almost… biblical.
Kaboom 💥 pic.twitter.com/QmK4tJyUsr
Notably, since the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7th October 2023, tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have heightened. On the same day, Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel. Israel has been actively neutralising Hezbollah terrorists and destroying its locations amid ongoing tensions.
According to reports, the incident took place in areas covering Lebanon and Syria. Though it is unclear which agency or group was behind the attack on Hezbollah, it is generally believed that the Israeli agency Mossad could have initiated the attack. There are several theories floating around about how the attack was orchestrated. Before diving into the theories, it is essential to understand the chain of events that happened on 17th September and its aftermath that shook the core of the terror outfit.
What happened on September 17?
As per reports, all the pagers that were targeted received a message shortly before the blast. There was a gap of a few seconds between the message and the blast, which can be seen in several CCTV footages circulating on social media.
In one of the footages, a man can be seen standing near a counter in the market. He receives a message, which he checks by removing the pager from the belt holder. He checks the message and places the pager on the counter. Within seconds, the blast occurs and the man falls to the floor. While this particular person had removed the pager and kept it slightly away from his body, not everyone else was that “lucky”. Another blast happened at a vegetable market.
🚨 Breaking: Tens of Hezbollah communication devices are exploding during the past hour. Initial reports state that over one hundred Hezbollah terrorists already injured.
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) September 17, 2024
Here's footage from two such explosion 👇 pic.twitter.com/rMwdRWsTGB
Several videos showed Hezbollah operatives on the floor with severe injuries around their waist and groin area, pointing to the fact that the pagers exploded in their pockets. It appears the idea behind the attack was that the receiver checks the message by pulling the pager close, causing the blast to cause critical physical damage. However, these are just theories.
According to news agency Reuters, locals said explosions were still taking place even 30 minutes after the initial blasts. These multiple explosions have triggered panic and chaos in Lebanon, especially throughout the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, which is a Hezbollah stronghold.
The battery blast theory
Initially, there was a theory floating around the exploding pagers attack that the simultaneous blasts could have occurred due to explosions in the lithium-ion batteries. In the aftermath of the blasts, a few photographs were published on social media that showed crumbled back panels of the pagers. In some of these photographs, model number AR-9 with GOLD written on them was visible. It matches the back of the AR-924 pager model that is produced by Gold Apollo Co. These pagers use lithium batteries.
These batteries are smaller in size compared to AA batteries. Though they are comparatively safer, there is always a chance of them exploding and causing severe damage to the person or the objects in close proximity. Notably, fires caused by lithium batteries are hard to extinguish, making them a fire safety hazard if not handled or manufactured properly. They can explode if they get overheated to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit or come into contact with metal.
Speaking to media house Haaretz, an expert claimed that it was “purely a cyberattack”. He added that 50-gram of lithium battery has the potential to generate heat equivalent to the explosion of seven grams of TNT. “If you short-circuit a lithium battery, it heats up extremely fast, within seconds,” he claimed.
However, according to a Washington Post report, experts suggest that it is highly unlikely that the cause of the serial pager blasts were lithium batteries.
Principal expert with Meier Fire Investigation, Richard Meier, said that devices are generally designed to vent the heat produced by lithium batteries. If they fail to do so, the device would explode. In some cases, batteries rely on the device’s software to regulate their use and temperature. In theory, they can be hacked and triggered to heat to the point that they explode.
However, when lithium batteries overheat, they tend to catch fire first and then explode. In the videos available on social media, the devices instantaneously exploded, leading experts to believe that the batteries could not be the reason behind the blast.
Reacting to the exploding pagers attack, Gold Apollo issued a statement that it authorised its brand on the AR-924 pagers used by the terrorist outfit. However, the devices were produced and sold by a company named BAC.
CEO of Gold Apollo, Hsu Ching-Kuang denied manufacturing the explosive pager. When asked abt AR-924, he said “it is produced & sold by BAC…we only provide brand trademark authorisation & have no involvement in design or manufacturing of this product.” See my exchange w him. pic.twitter.com/eb6k65oyKl
— Tingting Liu 劉亭廷 (@tingtingliuTVBS) September 18, 2024
Mossad, pagers and PETN: A highly sophisticated ambush
Another theory that has been floating around is that the Israeli agency Mossad is behind the attack. In February 2024, Hezbollah commanders ordered members of the terrorist organisation to stop using mobile phones, as they believed that Israel could be tracking them using GPS locations. The terror outfit decided to shift to a considerably low-tech device, namely pagers. The idea was to “blind” Israel’s surveillance.
According to a report in the New York Times, Hezbollah ordered over 3,000 pagers from Gold Apollo Company located in Taiwan. These pagers were tampered with before Hezbollah received them. Apart from the AR924 Gold model, three other models of pagers were also included in the shipment.
It has been theorised that the Israeli agency intercepted the devices somewhere in the supply chain, possibly in Europe. They implanted explosive material as little as a few grams next to the battery in each pager. A switch was also embedded to trigger the detonation remotely.
The report suggested that the devices were programmed to beep for several seconds before exploding. The beeping sound, according to a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was to force the owner of the pager to hold it close to eyes and face to read the message. The beeping sound continued for 10 seconds and then the pagers exploded.
Mikko Hypponen, a research specialist at WithSecure software company and a cybercrime advisor to Europol, said, “These pagers were likely modified in some way to cause these types of explosions — the size and strength of the explosion indicates it was not just the battery.”
Israeli cybersecurity analyst and researcher at Tel Aviv University, Keren Elazari, said that the exploding pagers attack hit Hezbollah where they were most vulnerable. She said, “This attack hit them in their Achilles’ heel because they took out a central means of communication. We have seen these types of devices, pagers, targeted before but not in an attack this sophisticated.”
PETN could have been used
The exploding pagers attack possibly utilised a highly explosive chemical known as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a nitrate ester of pentaerythritol. PETN is infamous for its explosive properties and is a key component of the plastic explosive Semtex, making it one of the most powerful explosives ever discovered. When combined with a plasticiser, PETN forms a plastic explosive capable of causing devastating damage. Interestingly, PETN is also approved by the FDA for medical use as a coronary vasodilator in treating heart conditions like angina, similar to glyceryl trinitrate but with a longer duration of action. However, in this context, its primary use is not medicinal but as a potent explosive weapon.
‘Throw the pagers away’ – Hezbollah commanders issued directive
Following the attack, a voice message was circulated to Hezbollah terrorists to throw away the new pager devices. Though Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack, Israeli agencies or the government issued no statement taking or denying responsibility for the attack.
The UN Security Management System has advised its personnel in Lebanon to switch off their VHF devices and remove all batteries until further notice. The agency’s radio network was temporarily suspended as well.
