Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and injuring thousands more. The attack has sparked a number of theories about how these devices were sabotaged. Although the exact mechanism behind the explosions is still being investigated, a few theories have emerged.
A large part of the debate revolved around the idea that the pagers had been tampered with, causing their batteries to overheat and explode. According to Lebanon’s telecommunications minister Johnny Corm, this overheating was a sign of a “glitch.” However, cybersecurity expert Robert Graham quickly dismissed this theory, arguing that it was impossible for the batteries to do anything more than burn out. Instead, he suggested the far more likely explanation that someone bribed the relevant factories to put explosives in the devices, Bloomberg reported.
What happened?
The first wave of explosions in Lebanon followed the detonation of a pager used by the Iran-backed militant group on Tuesday. Hospitals quickly filled up with casualties, leading to the establishment of a field hospital in Tyre. The blasts came shortly after Israel announced a strategic escalation in its military actions against Hezbollah. A second wave of explosions linked to Hezbollah walkie-talkies on Wednesday caused more chaos.
Theory 1: Explosives were planted in the devices
According to Lebanese security sources and Reuters reports, a new batch of 5,000 pagers ordered by Hezbollah from Taiwan-based manufacturer Gold Apollo were tampered with. Israeli espionage intelligence agency Mossad is suspected of planting small explosive devices within these devices. Explosives as small as 3 grams were reportedly hidden in such a way that Hezbollah remained undetected for months. The detonation mechanism is believed to be activated remotely through a coded message sent to the pager. Experts say these explosives were impossible to detect through regular scanners.
The attack on walkie-talkies, which were purchased at about the same time, is believed to be linked to a similar sabotage campaign. These devices, labelled ICOM and reportedly made in Japan, are believed to have been tampered with at the production stage, possibly by the Mossad. Little is known about the walkie-talkie explosions, but it has been suggested that the same coded message method may have been used to activate embedded explosives.
Principle 2: Supply Chain Compromise
Another theory is that of tampering in the supply chain. Security experts suggest that Israeli intelligence agencies may have gained access to the devices long before they reached Hezbollah. The pagers were identified as the Gold Apollo AR-924 model, but further investigation revealed that they were manufactured in Hungary by BAC Consulting, a company with licensing rights to use the Gold Apollo brand. This raises the possibility that the sabotage occurred during the manufacturing or distribution stages, giving Israel the opportunity to install explosive material without being detected.
Hezbollah has said the devices were part of a recently imported shipment, meaning the tampering occurred before the pagers arrived in Lebanon.
Principle 3: Remote activation via messaging
Another central theory is that the pagers and walkie-talkies were detonated remotely using electronic signals or radio frequency rather than physical tampering. Mark Montgomery, a retired admiral and executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, suggested the explosion may have been triggered by radio frequency or electronic signals. “I suspect it was a deliberate physical detonation enabled by cyber or radio frequency signals,” he told Bloomberg.
According to the New York Times report, the explosion appeared to have been triggered by a coded message. The pagers simultaneously received an internal communication from Hezbollah leadership, which when opened activated explosives hidden within the devices. Videos circulating on social media allegedly showed people looking at their pagers moments before the explosions occurred.
who is responsible?
Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack and vowed to retaliate. The timing of the blasts, which came after Israel’s announcement of expanded military operations on the Lebanese border, has fueled speculation that it was a deliberate move by Mossad. However, Israel has not officially commented on the matter. Further investigations are ongoing.
