How Mossad turned the outdated pager into a weapon against Hezbollah

Smartphones, tablets and laptops – these are the names that one would immediately think about when talking about communication devices. But how many of us have heard about pagers, let alone used them?

CREDIT: REUTERS

Who still uses pager?

Mostly forgotten in the history of communication devices, pagers, also known as beepers, acted as a transition between landlines and mobile phones.

So when news emerged on Tuesday that a series of pager explosions in Lebanon and Syria had injured thousands, everyone had the same question in mind – who is still using pagers?

Why Hezbollah was using pagers

It turns out that the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah are still big fans of the outdated pagers, and for a good reason. Unlike smartphones that can be tracked to gain access to the user's location and other personal data, pagers cannot be.

CREDIT: AP

Pager explosion in Lebanon

But Israel's spy agency, Mossad, still managed to turn the pagers into weapons to hit Hezbollah.

At least nine people were killed and some 2,800 wounded, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, when the pagers exploded across the country in an unprecedented attack on Tuesday.

CREDIT: REUTERS

Taiwanese company distances from pager

Initially, it was reported that the AR-924 model pagers that exploded on Tuesday were manufactured by a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo.

However, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-kuang said that the AR-924 model was produced and sold by a European company called BAC, which had licensed its brand name.

CREDIT: REUTERS

How Mossad planted explosives 

Security experts believe that Israeli agents may have tampered with the manufacturing process of the pagers and implanted the explosives. According to an expert who spoke to Reuters, just around three grams of explosives were hidden in some 5,000 pagers. The low amount of explosives meant that they went undetected for months. The explosives could have been remotely triggered, resulting in a low-density explosion that was aimed at creating panic and not much damage beyond that.

Also read: Mossad reportedly prepared months in advance for pager explosions targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon

CREDIT: REUTERS

Israel vs Hezbollah

The explosions come at a time when Hezbollah is getting increasingly involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

Ever since October 2023, Hezbollah has been targeting Israel with near-daily missile strikes, with heavy-handed retaliation from the IDF. In recent months, around 170 Hezbollah militants have been killed in targeted Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.