Thousands of modified pagers turned into instruments of destruction in a deadly attack against Hezbollah on Tuesday. Israeli operatives had embedded explosives in these pagers, which were originally intended for Hezbollah’s communication network. When the devices received a seemingly routine message, they detonated, causing the deaths of at least nine people and injuring over 2,800 across Lebanon.
The pagers, manufactured by Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, were initially intended for low-tech communication among Hezbollah fighters, who sought to avoid detection from advanced tracking systems.However, Israeli intelligence agents managed to insert explosive components into these devices at the production stage. The pagers were then distributed to Hezbollah under the guise of standard equipment.
The operation centered on the strategic deployment of 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers, procured by Hezbollah months in advance. These devices, modified by Israel‘s Mossad, were embedded with a small amount of explosives, Reuters reported quoting sources. The modification included a remote-trigger mechanism that was activated by a seemingly innocuous message received on the pagers.
On Tuesday afternoon, the pagers received a coded message that appeared to be from Hezbollah’s leadership. Instead of conveying instructions, the message triggered the hidden explosives within the devices. The simultaneous detonation resulted in widespread chaos and destruction, impacting not only Hezbollah members but also Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
The explosives, concealed within the pagers, went undetected despite months of use. The precise details of the attack were revealed by a senior Lebanese security source who described the embedded explosives as difficult to detect with conventional scanning methods.
In response to the attack, Hezbollah has vowed retaliation against Israel. The scale and effectiveness of the operation have been described as one of the most significant intelligence failures for Hezbollah in recent years. Jonathan Panikoff, a former US national intelligence officer on the Middle East, labeled it as “the biggest counterintelligence failure Hezbollah has faced in decades.”
As of now, Israel has refrained from commenting on the operation, and representatives from Gold Apollo have also not responded to requests for comment.
The pagers, manufactured by Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, were initially intended for low-tech communication among Hezbollah fighters, who sought to avoid detection from advanced tracking systems.However, Israeli intelligence agents managed to insert explosive components into these devices at the production stage. The pagers were then distributed to Hezbollah under the guise of standard equipment.
The operation centered on the strategic deployment of 5,000 Taiwan-made pagers, procured by Hezbollah months in advance. These devices, modified by Israel‘s Mossad, were embedded with a small amount of explosives, Reuters reported quoting sources. The modification included a remote-trigger mechanism that was activated by a seemingly innocuous message received on the pagers.
On Tuesday afternoon, the pagers received a coded message that appeared to be from Hezbollah’s leadership. Instead of conveying instructions, the message triggered the hidden explosives within the devices. The simultaneous detonation resulted in widespread chaos and destruction, impacting not only Hezbollah members but also Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
The explosives, concealed within the pagers, went undetected despite months of use. The precise details of the attack were revealed by a senior Lebanese security source who described the embedded explosives as difficult to detect with conventional scanning methods.
In response to the attack, Hezbollah has vowed retaliation against Israel. The scale and effectiveness of the operation have been described as one of the most significant intelligence failures for Hezbollah in recent years. Jonathan Panikoff, a former US national intelligence officer on the Middle East, labeled it as “the biggest counterintelligence failure Hezbollah has faced in decades.”
As of now, Israel has refrained from commenting on the operation, and representatives from Gold Apollo have also not responded to requests for comment.