In 1996, the death of Yahya Ayyash, Hamas’s bomb maker, was caused by Israel. Yahya Ayyash was killed in an explosion caused by a mobile phone. Following this incident, Hezbollah decided to abandon mobile phones. Instead, they chose the pager system, an electronic device, to avoid Israel’s location tracking. The pager is a wireless telecommunication device that displays numerical and alphanumeric messages and can receive voice messages. It is suggested that the pager reached Mossad’s hands before it reached Hezbollah. A British media outlet, cited by Iran’s news agency, reported that explosives known as PETN (Pentaerythritol tetranitrate) were hidden inside the devices’ batteries and detonated when the temperature increased.
However, the series of pager explosions targeting Hezbollah on Tuesday is considered an unprecedented attack strategy. It is believed to be a well-planned operation carried out over a long time. Thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously across Southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, Beirut, and the Syrian capital. The attacks were highly sophisticated, with at least nine deaths confirmed, while many others are in critical condition. Around 3,000 people were injured in the explosions. The pagers, imported to Lebanon, were manufactured in Taiwan. Reports from The New York Times indicate that Hezbollah had ordered pagers from a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. About 5,000 pagers were reportedly ordered. It is believed that a board containing explosives was placed inside the pagers. The board could also receive codes, making it nearly impossible to detect. Lebanese sources suggest that Mossad may have intervened during the manufacturing or distribution process. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel.
Another theory suggests an infiltration of the supply chain. It is speculated that there may have been tampering either during the manufacturing or transit process. Attacks on supply chains are a growing concern in the world of cybersecurity. A former British Army expert, cited by the BBC, suggested that 10 to 20 grams of explosives could be hidden within electronic components. U.S. officials and experts share a similar view, stating that Mossad may have hidden 3 grams of explosives in each of the 5,000 pagers ordered by Hezbollah from Taiwan’s Gold Apollo company. The sabotage is believed to have occurred before the pagers reached Lebanon. This is the same theory supported by Hezbollah. However, Israel has not commented or confirmed its involvement in the attacks, and the U.S. officially denied any knowledge of the incident.
Meanwhile, the founder of Gold Apollo, Su Ching-Kwang, denied the reports, stating that his company did not manufacture the pagers involved in the explosions. He claimed that the pagers were made by a European company and that his company only provided the brand trademark approval, with no involvement in the design or manufacturing of the pagers.
