Updated: Can Exploding Pagers in Lebanon Be The Latest Escalation in a Never-ending Middle East War?

This unfolding story has provided new facts to add to the narrative. When I published the article that appears below on September 18, 2024, a Hungarian company had been named as the subcontracted provider of pagers that exploded in Lebanon killing 12 and injuring close to 3,000. Since then the Hungarian government has denied the pagers were manufactured in its country. The company, B.A.C. Consulting, is now described as a middleman in a transaction. B.A.C. is headed up by an Italian woman who isn’t even a resident of Hungary. 

New evidence further clouds the narrative with unofficial comments from Hezbollah that indicated the militant organization may have been aware that Israel was attempting to compromise its communication devices and inadvertently set off the explosions themselves by sending a warning message to its users.

Since the pagers exploded, hundreds of other electronic devices have exploded in Lebanon killing many more and injuring hundreds. The devices named include walkie-talkies and solar panels.

While Israel officially continues to deny its involvement in this bizarre escalation of the conflict on the country’s northern front,  no other international entity’s involvement makes sense.

The headlines in the past 24 hours state that pagers and other communication devices used by members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon have exploded causing many deaths and thousands of injuries to operators and those nearby. According to local reports, the pagers blew up in the hands, pockets, and cars of users causing at least 12 deaths and collateral injuries to 2,800 nearby. The pagers involved were sourced from a Taiwanese company that was using a Hungarian subcontractor. The devices had been purchased five months ago.

Hezbollah has accused Israel of planting explosives in the devices and setting them off remotely. This raises all kinds of questions. How could Israeli intelligence know from whom Hezbollah was ordering these pagers? How could they then plant explosive devices or alter the internal components only in ones being produced and destined for Hezbollah? If not tampered with at the point of production, could the devices have been intercepted en route to Lebanon or shortly after they arrived and before distribution to Hezbollah users?

So far, there have been two explosions. The first involved 3,000 pagers simultaneously overheating and exploding. A day later, hundreds of walkie-talkies and other wireless devices did the same. Some of the latter were being worn or carried by Hezbollah members who were attending the funerals of those killed in the first explosion.

Israel has made no statement. Gold Apollo is the Taiwanese company that permitted Hungary-based B.A.C. Consulting to make the pager in question. The model sold to Hezbollah was the Rugged Pager AR-924 (see picture below) and was not sourced from Taiwan.

The theory being put forward by Lebanese security and the accusations made by Hezbollah point to Israel’s Mossad, the country’s intelligence agency, as having somehow compromised these devices. How? It could be done by:

• Altering the software remotely or at the point of manufacturing or in distribution allowing the devices to receive and accept coded signals to trigger runaway overheating or cause explosive substances within them to detonate.
• Tampering with all 3,000 devices during manufacturing or post as the pagers were en route to Lebanon or upon arrival. Small amounts of explosives could have been added or modifications to a component such as the battery to make it overheat could explain what happened.

If an explosive, the likely one would be pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) with only a small amount between 1 and 3 grams needed.

Israel, in its wars with its neighbours in the Middle East, has used software-enabled signal alterations to cause cell phones to blow up or set off bombs remotely. More recent incidents in Lebanon and Iran were among the reasons Hezbollah was switching from cell phones to pagers and walkie-talkies for communication.

Although no Israeli spokesperson has admitted to the explosions, there is little doubt that what just happened in Lebanon is Israel’s doing. But in doing it what has Israel gained? Will it get Hezbollah to stop firing missiles into the northern half of the country? Will it lead to a ceasefire on the Lebanese border or just escalate the conflict on that front? More importantly, will it contribute to ending the 11-month Gaza-Hamas war? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “no.”

Looking at the legality of the pager attack, does it contravene international law? If Israeli operatives launched it did they do this with the backing of the country’s government? The likely answer in both cases is “yes.”

Finally, are there further consequences for Israel and Hezbollah from this latest attack? The latter’s communications have temporarily been disrupted. The leadership is likely shaken by the events of the last 48 hours. But Hezbollah will continue its hold on the Lebanese government.

For Israel, however, the attack does nothing to alter the war with Hamas in Gaza and the plight of Israel’s hostages. For Palestinian civilians in Gaza and even the West Bank, it does nothing as well as they continue to be collateral victims of Israel’s Hamas search and destroy missions and free any of the hostages that are still alive.