Five months before Tuesday’s detonations, Israel’s spy agency Mossad allegedly planted explosives inside 5,000 Taiwanese-made pagers. Claim multiple reports, citing senior Lebanese security sources.
Talking to Reuters, a senior Lebanese security source said “The pagers exploded when a coded message was sent to them, simultaneously activating the explosives.” Elaborating more on this, the source also added, “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.”
These pagers, used by thousands of Hezbollah members, exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and parts of Syria, resulting in at least nine deaths and many injuries. Nearly 100 blast incidents were reported in Syria on that day.
Also Read: Nine Dead, Over 2,800 Injured In Synchronised Pager Explosions Targeting Hezbollah In Lebanon
About Pagers Devices
Reportedly, Hezbollah obtained these pagers from the Taiwan-based manufacturer Gold Apollo, which were smuggled into Lebanon between April and May. One exploded pager was identified as the AP924 variant, and images of the damaged devices confirmed the design and stickers consistent with Gold Apollo products.
According to Sky News Arabia, Israeli operatives allegedly placed a small amount of PETN, a highly explosive substance, on the pager batteries, triggering the explosions by remotely increasing the battery temperature.
These explosives weighed less than 20 grams and that these pagers were imported five months prior to the blasts. Currently, an investigation is ongoing to determine how the explosive mechanism was activated.
Must Read: Hezbollah Claims Israel Responsible As Exploding Pagers Kill Nine And Injure Thousands
Meanwhile, in response to the explosions, Hezbollah has vowed retaliation against Israel, asserting that the country will face “its fair punishment” for the attacks. Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary also condemned the incident, calling the incident “Israeli aggression.”
Even though, Israeli authorities and the military have not commented on the allegations, Hezbollah’s use of pagers as a low-tech communication method aims to avoid detection by Israeli forces. The group has been engaged in armed conflict with Israel since Hamas’s attack on October 7.
