On September 17, 2024, a series of pager explosions in Lebanon resulted in the deaths of at least nine people and injured over 3,000 including civilians and Hezbollah operatives. The explosions were believed to have been orchestrated by Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, in collaboration with the Israeli military targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
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On September 17, 2024, handheld pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded nearly simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria. The explosions killed at least 12 people including two children and injured around 2,800 others.
The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed the fatalities and injuries, many of the injured suffered from severe eye damage or required limb amputations.
The blasts primarily affected Hezbollah fighters or individuals connected to them, though it is unclear whether civilians with no Hezbollah ties were impacted as well. Hospitals in Beirut became overwhelmed and countries like Iraq, Iran and Syria offered medical aid.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack, vowing a severe reckoning in response. The group, which is a major regional ally of Hamas issued a statement declaring that their strikes on Israel would continue but also promised a separate, difficult reckoning specifically for Tuesday’s attack.
Lebanese authorities also condemned the attack as a cyber operation by Israel and indicated plans to raise the issue with the United Nations Security Council.
While Israel has not officially commented on the explosions, US officials confirmed that Israel briefed the United States about the operation after it occurred. However, these officials could not provide details on whether the explosive devices had been tampered with before being delivered or how the attack was precisely executed.
Pagers are a favored tool among Hezbollah members for secure communication. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned about the risks of using mobile phones referring to them as listening devices potentially vulnerable to Israeli surveillance.
Pagers, running on different wireless networks offer a level of protection from electronic eavesdropping and are especially valued in Lebanon, where frequent power outages limit the use of mobile phones.
The pagers involved in the attack were of the AR-924 model marketed as rugged devices with a long battery life of up to 85 days.
The pagers used in the attack were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, a Hungarian company based in Budapest, according to a statement by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm.
Gold Apollo authorized BAC to use its brand on pagers sold in specific regions, but distanced itself from the design and manufacturing process.
BAC Consulting KFT appears to be a shell company with its headquarters located in a residential area in Budapest. The company’s registered owner, Cristiana Rosaria Bársony-Arcidiacono denied any direct involvement in manufacturing the pagers, claiming to act as an intermediary between manufacturers.
Gold Apollo’s chairman, Hsu Ching-kuang expressed his own surprise and dismay, stating that his company was a victim in the situation.
Gold Apollo has been working with BAC Consulting for the past three years but insisted that the design and production of the pagers were BAC’s responsibility.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs released data showing that Gold Apollo had exported approximately 260,000 pagers from 2022 to August 2024.
It stressed that no direct shipments had been made to Lebanon. The ministry also confirmed that there had been no previous reports of explosions involving pagers manufactured by Gold Apollo.
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The attack was executed through explosives planted in pagers. These low-tech devices believed to be free from Israeli and US spyware, were used by Hezbollah to avoid detection.
The devices had been purchased months prior and distributed across the Hezbollah network functioning normally until the day of the explosions.
The New York Times and CNN reports indicate that the explosives were concealed inside a batch of Taiwanese-manufactured pagers. Although the devices were sourced from Gold Apollo, they were later traced to a European distributor that allegedly handled the explosive insertion.
Israel reportedly managed to intercept the supply chain, placing explosives near the batteries of the pagers and embedding a switch that could be triggered remotely to detonate the devices simultaneously.
This operation involved the manipulation of supply chains, implanting PETN explosives and timing the explosions for maximum impact.
The operation likely began with the interception of the pagers either during production or shipment. Israeli operatives, through Mossad are believed to have compromised the devices by inserting explosives during the manufacturing or shipping stages.
Experts say that pagers contain three of the five components required to make an explosive device, a container, a battery and a triggering mechanism. By adding a detonator and an explosive charge, the devices were transformed into lethal weapons.
On the day of the attack, thousands of pagers across Lebanon and parts of Syria received a simultaneous message remotely triggering the explosives.
Though it is unclear how exactly the detonation was managed, one theory suggests that the pagers’ batteries were overheated causing them to explode. Some victims reported their devices heating up before the blasts.
CNN and The New York Times both attribute the operation to Mossad and the Israeli military, though Israel has not officially commented on the attacks.
Given the scale and precision of the attack, it is likely that Israel had access to human intelligence within Hezbollah or its supply chains, enabling them to execute such a detailed operation.
Hezbollah has denied being responsible for the attack and instead pointed fingers at Israel, vowing revenge. The group released a statement warning of retaliation against what they called the criminal enemy, promising punishment for the sinful assault.
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