The coordinated detonations resulted in nine fatalities and nearly 3,000 injuries, with casualties including Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s representative in Beirut.
The operation, which occurred months before the blasts, represents a major security breach for Hezbollah.
The pagers, imported from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, were reportedly not manufactured by the company itself but by a European firm named BAC, which has a licence to use Gold Apollo’s branding. Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang confirmed that while his company authorised the branding, it was not involved in the design or production.
The senior Lebanese security source identified the model as an AP924, a pager equipped to receive text messages but without phone-call capabilities. Mossad allegedly modified the devices at the production stage by embedding explosive materials within the circuit boards, making detection nearly impossible.
Approximately 3,000 of the pagers exploded simultaneously after receiving a coded message, with the explosives going undetected for months. Up to three grammes of explosives were hidden in each pager, according to security sources. The blasts left Hezbollah fighters, medics, and civilians severely injured, with many suffering facial injuries, missing fingers, and shrapnel wounds. Footage from hospitals confirmed the extent of the damage.
Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, has vowed retaliation against Israel. In a statement following the attacks, Hezbollah declared that it would continue its support for Gaza while preparing for a separate response to what it called a “massacre” by Israel.
While Israel’s military has not commented on the explosions, the incident has been described as Hezbollah’s “biggest security breach” since the Gaza conflict escalated on October 7, said one Hezbollah official.
The breach comes amid heightened tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in daily exchanges of missiles, rockets, and artillery fire along the Lebanon-Israel border. Though Hezbollah claims it does not seek a wider war, it has vowed to fight if Israel initiates one. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin that the window for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff with Hezbollah is closing.
Experts believe the pager blasts indicate the depth of Israeli intelligence’s penetration into Hezbollah’s operations rather than signalling an imminent ground offensive. Paul Pillar, a former CIA officer, remarked that the operation highlights Israel’s ability to infiltrate its adversaries in a “remarkably dramatic way.”(Reuters)
