A coordinated attack targeted Hezbollah in Lebanon yesterday as thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously, killing at least nine people and injuring around 2,800. The attack occurred amid heightened tensions in the region due to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hezbollah, which holds significant political power in Lebanon, immediately blamed Israel for the explosions.
Throughout the Gaza conflict, Hezbollah has expressed support for Hamas, even exchanging fire with Israel across Lebanon’s southern border. However, no group has officially claimed responsibility for the recent attack. The accusations against Israel have drawn attention to Mossad, the country’s intelligence agency, known for its covert operations abroad.
Pagers, a low-tech communication tool once popular before the advent of mobile phones, are used by Hezbollah to avoid location tracking. According to a report by the New York Times, the pagers involved in the explosions were fitted with explosives in Taiwan. The devices were ordered by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm, and allegedly tampered with by Israeli agents before their arrival in Lebanon.
The NYT reported that around 3,000 pagers, mostly of the AR-924 model, were part of the recent order. These devices were fitted with explosives during the production process, which could be remotely triggered. News agency AFP, citing a security analyst based in Brussels, claimed that Mossad had been planning this operation for several months. The pagers, embedded with up to three grams of explosives each, went unnoticed by Hezbollah until the attack. The devices exploded when a codeword was sent, resulting in widespread casualties.
Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, has denied involvement in the production of the pagers. He claimed that a Hungarian firm named BAC, which had the rights to use Gold Apollo’s brand name, was responsible for manufacturing the devices.
The attack occurred shortly after the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) released a statement emphasizing the goal of safely returning residents evacuated from northern Israel, which borders southern Lebanon. This statement was followed by the blasts that rocked Lebanon.
While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, Mossad’s history of conducting sophisticated operations abroad has drawn suspicion. Previous operations attributed to Mossad include the assassination of top Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and the infamous “Operation Wrath of God,” which targeted those responsible for the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
The recent explosions in Lebanon raise questions about Mossad’s capabilities and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, intensifying the already volatile situation in the region.
