An unprecedented attack triggered by detonating messaging devices known as “pagers” hit global headlines on Tuesday (September 17, 2024).
Were the devices rigged, or hacked?
The relatively small blasts and the huge number of victims – about 4,000 injured, and several people dead including a child reported as of mid-day on Wednesday – appears to be the handiwork of an incredibly complex operation.
In Lebanon and Syria, the pagers blew up on Tuesday nearly simultaneously in people’s pockets or on their hands.
Among those injured in what appears to be a major security breach included Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.
Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militant group, stated in a media release on Tuesday: “At 3.30pm on Tuesday, a number of messaging devices, or pagers, exploded. The cause of the explosion is not known. Investigations are underway.”
On Wednesday, Hezbollah blamed Israel for the extraordinary operation. The Israeli side has not commented. Hezbollah is leading the resistance against Israeli occupation of South Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah, long-standing adversaries, fought a month-long war in 2006 that resulted in over 1,350 deaths.
Compromised pagers?
“A large number of injured flooded hospitals," Dr Firass Abiad, Minister of Health of Lebanon, told a press briefing on Tuesday evening. "A number of individuals have been killed, including a young child. The number of injuries recorded were 2,750; eight people have been killed, and more than 200 are in critical condition, requiring surgical intervention.”
"More than 150 blood units were handed out in 100 hospitals across the country. Many of those injured also reported damage to the eyes that requires surgery,” he added.
On Wednesday, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israel’s Mossad spy agency planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by the Lebanese group months before Tuesday’s detonations.
The source claimed the devices were produced by Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, but the company denied this, stating they were actually made by a licensed manufacturer called BAC. Gold Apollo provided no further details.
Hezbollah, in a statement on Wednesday, said: “The resistance will continue today, like any other day, its operations to support Gaza, its people and its resistance which is a separate path from the harsh punishment that the criminal enemy (Israel) should await in response to Tuesday’s massacre.”
Why Hezbollah used pagers
Hezbollah used pagers for several reasons. It’s primarily related to security: pagers generally operate on a simpler communication system than mobile phones, often use one-way communication, making them harder to detect and track.
When the Hamas-Israel war erupted as a result of the October 7 attack, an order by Hezbollah went out to its people not to use mobile phones, in case they were sabotaged, BBC reported.
There was a good reason for it: In January 1996, Hamas bomb-maker Yahya Ayyash was assassinated by Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic security service) through a booby-trapped mobile phone.
• They were widely popular in the 1980s and 1990s, especially in industries like healthcare, emergency services, and business.
• Today, pagers are still used in critical environments such as hospitals, fire stations, and certain industries where reliable communication is needed in areas with poor cell service or during emergencies.
Exploding digital devices
The reason lithium-ion batteries are widely used in smartphones, watches, laptops, EVs, and other digital devices–is because of their high energy efficiency (more power for less weight).
However, battery-powered digital devices, particularly those using lithium-ion batteries, pose a significant fire risk. This is due to their chemical composition and the high energy density they store.
• The research team counted estimated 832 individuals injured by cell phone explosions and non-scalding burns (i.e., thermal and electrical) in the United States alone.
Pagers, which preceded mobile phones, send brief messages, often just a few words or codes, which can be harder to intercept or interpret compared to longer voice or text communications over mobile phones.
This gave Hezbollah a tactical advantage in minimising the amount of actionable intelligence that could be gathered by enemy forces.
Pagers are also powered by batteries. Under certain conditions, they can overheat, short-circuit, or experience “thermal runaway”—a chain reaction that can lead to fires or explosions.
Compromised gadgets
In theory, there are a number of ways an electronic gadget can be compromised or manipulated to function as an explosive device:
Manipulation of battery systems
Most modern electronic gadgets, especially those powered by lithium-ion batteries, have built-in battery management systems (BMS) that prevent overcharging and thermal runaway.
However, if a hacker gains root-level access to the device’s “firmware” or software that controls the battery, they could potentially disable safety features, causing the battery to overheat and initiate a thermal runaway event.
This could lead to a fire or explosion under the right conditions. However, doing this remotely would require bypassing security mechanisms within the operating system and hardware.
Compromising critical components
Devices with connected systems that contain electronic circuits can theoretically be “hijacked” to trigger a physical reaction.
By sending specific commands, malware could cause hardware to malfunction—such as short-circuiting electrical components—that might ignite combustible materials, though this is highly improbable without physical tampering.
Reprogramming or modifying firmware
If an attacker can replace or modify the firmware of a battery-powered communications device, they could theoretically instruct the device to overclock certain components, bypass thermal safeguards, or cause excessive power draw, leading to overheating.
Booby trapping
Booby-trapping, or rigging a battery-powered digital device is not just possible—it’s a dangerous reality. While it demands a highly complex operation, any electronic gadget can be compromised and transformed into a lethal explosive.
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