Israel executed its smart and sophisticated operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday by concealing explosive materials within a new shipment of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation, as reported by The New York Times.
The report states that the pagers, which Hezbollah ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, were tampered with before arriving in Lebanon, some officials noted. Most were the company’s AR924 model, though three other Gold Apollo models were also included in the shipment.
The explosive material, weighing as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two officials said. Additionally, a switch was embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.
At 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared to be from Hezbollah’s leadership, according to two officials. Instead, the message activated the explosives.
Lebanon’s health minister reported to state media that at least 11 people were killed and more than 2,700 injured. The devices were programmed to beep for several seconds before exploding, as noted by three officials.
Islamic Regime in Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was seen arriving at the hospital in a blood-soaked white shirt after being wounded in one of the pager explosions.
Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack but has provided limited details about its understanding of the operation. Israel has not commented on the attack or claimed responsibility.
The American and other officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the operation.
Independent cybersecurity experts who analyzed footage of the attacks indicated that the strength and speed of the explosions were due to a specific type of explosive material.
“These pagers were likely modified in some way to cause these types of explosions — the size and strength of the explosion indicates it was not just the battery,” said Mikko Hypponen, a research specialist at the software company WithSecure and a cybercrime adviser to Europol.
Keren Elazari, an Israeli cybersecurity analyst and researcher at Tel Aviv University, stated that the attacks targeted Hezbollah at its most vulnerable points.
Earlier this year, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had strictly limited the use of cellphones, viewing them as increasingly susceptible to Israeli surveillance, according to some officials and security experts.
“This attack hit them in their Achilles’ heel because they took out a central means of communication,” Ms. Elazari said. “We have seen these types of devices, pagers, targeted before but not in an attack this sophisticated.”
Over 3,000 pagers were ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, according to several officials. Hezbollah distributed these pagers to its members throughout Lebanon, with some reaching allies in Iran and Syria. Israel’s attack affected the pagers that were switched on and receiving messages.
It remains unclear precisely when the pagers were ordered and when they arrived in Lebanon.
