Israel Makes Hezbollah Pagers Explode In Lebanon | On The Brink Of A New War? | Akash Banerjee

Summary

On September 17th, Lebanon experienced a series of coordinated explosions targeting pagers and walkie-talkies, killing 12 and injuring 2700. The devices, used by Hezbollah to evade Israeli surveillance, were allegedly rigged with explosives by Israel. This unprecedented attack has raised concerns about the future of electronic warfare and civilian safety. The incident has intensified the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, with fears of a broader regional war.

Takeaways

• 💥 Israel allegedly carried out a large-scale attack on Hezbollah by turning pagers and walkie-talkies into explosives, resulting in deaths and injuries in Lebanon.
• 📱 Hezbollah fighters had been using pagers and walkie-talkies to avoid Israeli surveillance, especially after the use of Pegasus software in tracking mobile phones.
• 🔫 The explosions resulted in 37 deaths and over 3,000 injuries across multiple waves, primarily affecting Hezbollah operatives, but also civilians, including children and hospital staff.
• 🎯 Israel allegedly infiltrated the supply chain of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, implanting PETN explosives and detonators inside these devices.
• ⚠️ The attack has sparked concerns about the future of remote electronic warfare, as any device, including smartphones, could theoretically be weaponized in a similar way.
• 🚨 Hezbollah vowed revenge for the attack, and tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated further with rocket attacks, airstrikes, and artillery fire.
• 🌍 The international community is concerned that this incident could escalate into a broader regional war, further destabilizing the Middle East.
• 💣 This attack marks a dangerous precedent in modern warfare, where everyday civilian communication devices can be turned into bombs, raising ethical and legal questions under international law.
• 📜 Many experts believe that Israel has violated international law, particularly the prohibition against turning civilian objects into weapons.
• 🌐 The attack raises alarms about the vulnerability of modern technology, including smartphones and laptops, to similar forms of remote manipulation and weaponization.

Q & A

What event occurred in Lebanon on September 17th involving pagers?

On September 17th, a message sent to over 3000 pagers in Lebanon triggered thousands of small explosions, causing chaos and resulting in 12 deaths and 2700 injuries.

What was the nature of the second wave of explosions in Lebanon?

The second wave of explosions was more powerful, targeting over 500 radio devices and causing fires in scooters, four-wheelers, and shops, resulting in 25 deaths and over 450 injuries.

Why were pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah fighters?

Hezbollah fighters used pagers and walkie-talkies to avoid Israeli surveillance, as Israel could track mobile phones with sophisticated software like Pegasus.

How did Israel allegedly turn everyday devices into weapons?

Israel allegedly established a fake pager production company, added explosives to the pagers' batteries, and used remote control detonators to create bombs out of the devices.

What was the role of Ibrahim Aqil in Hezbollah?

Ibrahim Aqil was the military commander of Hezbollah's elite Redwan force, involved in ground operations and the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut.

What is Hezbollah and what is its relationship with Iran?

Hezbollah is a politically influential Shia Muslim group based in Lebanon, heavily armed and funded by Iran, with significant military and political power.

What is the significance of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in Hezbollah?

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has been leading Hezbollah since 1992 and plays a key role in its political and military influence. He is a close friend of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

How did the use of pagers by Hezbollah fighters backfire?

Hezbollah fighters used pagers to avoid phone surveillance, but Israel allegedly manipulated these pagers to turn them into bombs, causing significant harm to both fighters and civilians.

What international concerns have arisen from the 'Pager Blast' attack?

The 'Pager Blast' attack raised concerns about the potential for civilian collateral damage from technological warfare, privacy and safety issues, and the possibility of such attacks becoming a weapon of terror.

What are the implications of this attack on the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel?

The attack has escalated tensions, with both sides engaging in further military actions, leading to fears of a wider regional conflict involving multiple countries.

How has the international community responded to the situation in Lebanon and Israel?

The international community, including the USA, Russia, and France, has urged both sides to de-escalate, while Israel has continued its military actions, and Hezbollah has threatened retaliation.

Outlines

00:00

💥 Hezbollah's Pager Bombing and Lebanon's Chaos

On September 17, Lebanon experienced coordinated explosions triggered by more than 3000 pagers, leaving 12 people dead and 2700 injured. Many were maimed, and chaos reigned in streets, homes, and shops. The second wave of attacks, involving the explosion of radio devices like walkie-talkies and solar panels, killed 25 more and injured 450. Most of these devices belonged to Hezbollah fighters, who were using them to evade Israeli surveillance. Though Israel has not officially taken responsibility, the attacks targeted Hezbollah’s communication network, killing senior commander Ibrahim Aqil and escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

05:00

⚔️ Hezbollah's Military Strength and International Standing

Hezbollah boasts a formidable military force with up to 50,000 active fighters and an arsenal of over 200,000 rockets and missiles. Despite being labeled as a terrorist organization by countries like the USA, Israel, and the Gulf States, Hezbollah enjoys strong political influence in Lebanon. Their leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, remains in hiding, delivering televised speeches due to Israeli threats. In retaliation for Israel’s Gaza bombings, Hezbollah has launched frequent rocket attacks on northern Israel, causing significant casualties on both sides. This cycle of violence continues, with Israel focusing on eliminating Hezbollah commanders through targeted strikes.

10:03

🕵️‍♂️ Israel's Secret Pager Bomb Plot

Israel's sophisticated plan to undermine Hezbollah’s communications involved creating fake pager production companies to covertly add explosives to pagers ordered by Hezbollah. By infiltrating the supply chain, Israel transformed ordinary pagers into deadly bombs. When the time was right, Israel detonated these devices remotely, crippling Hezbollah’s network. Walkie-talkies, too, were targeted, with Israel believed to have inserted explosives into fake products resembling legitimate models from companies like ICOM. This operation, 15 years in the making, highlighted Israel’s advancement in electronic warfare and raised concerns about the safety of consumer technology in the future.

15:10

🌍 The Global Implications of Cyber-Warfare and Weaponized Devices

The attack on Hezbollah’s communication devices sets a dangerous precedent, showing how everyday technology like pagers and walkie-talkies can be weaponized. Experts warn that smartphones, laptops, and other devices could be next, escalating the threat to civilians worldwide. Israel’s manipulation of pagers highlights the potential for any government or terrorist group to hack personal devices and turn them into weapons. The international community, bound by human rights laws, condemns such actions, yet this new form of warfare challenges these norms. With tensions between Hezbollah and Israel rising, global concerns about privacy, security, and regional stability are intensifying.

Keywords

💡Pagers

Pagers are communication devices that receive and display numeric or textual messages wirelessly. In the video, pagers are used by Hezbollah fighters to avoid Israeli surveillance. The script describes how these pagers were turned into explosive devices, illustrating a shift from their traditional use in emergency services to a tool in modern warfare.

💡Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a politically influential Shia Muslim group based in Lebanon, known for its military wing and involvement in Lebanon's political affairs. The video discusses Hezbollah's use of pagers and walkie-talkies, and the subsequent Israeli attacks on their devices, highlighting the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

💡Israel

Israel is a country in the Middle East that has a long-standing conflict with Hezbollah. The video script describes Israel's alleged role in the pager bombings and its sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities, emphasizing the strategic and technological aspects of the conflict.

💡Explosions

The term 'explosions' is used in the script to describe the violent events that occurred in Lebanon, where pagers and walkie-talkies were turned into bombs. These explosions resulted in casualties and chaos, underscoring the severity and impact of the conflict on civilians.

💡Cyber Warfare

Cyber warfare refers to the use of technology and the internet to disrupt, damage, or threaten the information infrastructure of a country or organization. In the video, cyber warfare is exemplified by Israel's alleged use of technology to turn everyday devices into weapons, raising concerns about the future of electronic device security.

💡Pegasus

Pegasus is a sophisticated software reportedly used by Israel to track mobile phones. The script mentions Pegasus in the context of Israeli surveillance capabilities, illustrating how advanced technology can be used for both intelligence gathering and as a weapon in cyber warfare.

💡Walkie-Talkies

Walkie-talkies are handheld, two-way radios used for communication over short distances. The video discusses how these devices were also targeted to explode, similar to the pagers, indicating a broader strategy of disrupting Hezbollah's communication networks.

💡International Law

International law refers to the body of rules governing relations between nations. The video raises questions about Israel's compliance with international law in conducting attacks on civilian devices like pagers and walkie-talkies, highlighting the ethical and legal implications of such actions.

💡Civilian Collateral Damage

Civilian collateral damage refers to unintended harm to non-combatants in a conflict. The script describes how the explosions affected not only Hezbollah fighters but also innocent civilians, including children and hospital staff, emphasizing the tragic consequences of warfare on non-combatants.

💡Escalation

Escalation in the context of the video refers to the increasing intensity of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The script suggests that the pager bombings could be a precursor to a larger, more destructive war, indicating a rise in tension and potential violence.

💡Redwan Force

The Redwan Force is an elite military unit within Hezbollah, led by Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike as mentioned in the script. The Redwan Force is significant for its role in Hezbollah's ground operations, and Aqil's death symbolizes the personal cost of the ongoing conflict.

Highlights

On 17th September, Lebanon experienced a series of pager-triggered explosions, causing widespread chaos and destruction.

The explosions resulted in 12 deaths and 2700 injuries in the initial wave.

A second wave of explosions targeted radio devices, causing additional fires and damage.

Hezbollah fighters were primary targets of the pagers and walkie-talkies explosions.

Hezbollah used pagers to evade Israeli surveillance, which could track mobile phones with software like Pegasus.

Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, but Hezbollah suspects its involvement.

Hezbollah's military commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed in an aerial strike following the explosions.

Hezbollah is a politically influential Shia Muslim group in Lebanon, funded and armed by Iran.

Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has been leading the group since 1992.

The use of pagers by Hezbollah was a strategic move to avoid phone tracking.

Israel allegedly established a fake pager production company to infiltrate Hezbollah's communication.

The pagers were turned into bombs through the insertion of explosives and detonators.

The attack has raised concerns about the safety of civilian electronic devices and the potential for misuse of technology.

The international community fears that the conflict could escalate into a full-scale regional war.

The incident has sparked a debate on the legality and ethics of using civilian devices as weapons.

Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate, and Israel has continued its military operations against the group.

The attack has set a dangerous precedent for the potential targeting of civilian electronic devices in future conflicts.

Transcripts

On 17th September, Lebanon, at 3.30pm, a message is sent to more than 3000 pagers.

People take their pagers in their hands to check the message and along with that, explosion

Thousands of such small explosions shake Lebanon.

On the roads, in the shops, in the houses, sound of screams echoes and chaos is created everywhere

In these explosions, 12 people lose lives

2700 injured

Many people - either hands or feet or private parts or a part of the face - missing.

Lebanon was struggling with this unprecedented and sophisticated large-scale attack

when more than 500 radio devices, such as walkie-talkies, fingerprint reading devices, and even some solar panels, exploded

This second wave of explosions was so powerful that many scooters, four-wheelers, and shops,

and houses where all these things were, were also set on fire.

In the second day's explosions, 25 people were killed, more than 450 people were injured

Most of the pagers and walkie-talkies that exploded belonged to Hezbollah fighters.

A batch of 5000 pagers was ordered in Lebanon this year.

Hezbollah used these pagers to avoid Israeli surveillance,

which was able to track the mobile phones of its enemies with sophisticated software like Pegasus.

By the way, Israel killed Hezbollah's senior commander last year because of this tracking.

Officially, Israel has not taken responsibility for this major attack, nor has it denied it with its alleged role.

Hezbollah was talking about revenge, and then

no pager, walkie talkie - straightaway aerial strike

Hezbollah military commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed in Beirut.

Aqil was leading Hezbollah's elite Redwan force which is considered an important part of Hezbollah's ground operations

Aqil was also involved in the 1983 bombing of US Embassy in Beirut. He had bounty of 7 million USD

Hezbollah has said that the attacks are a massive setback

but the group has said that it will take revenge

Remember, the battle between Hezbollah and Israel is decades old.

And today the international community is worried that along with the Gaza war

will this full blown regional war, the Pager bombing, become a full blown regional war?

In the Kuwait war, the world learned a new technical term Precision-guided smart bombs

That is, you can target a window of a house thousands of kilometers away

Then came more terminologies Predator drones, cyber warfare

But Israel has written a new chapter in the world of remote electronic warfare.

Israel has shown the world that with the right technology and planning,

you can turn low-level devices into miniature bombs.

In today's video, we will try to understand what is the whole matter and where are we going?

Who is this Hezbollah group for which Israel had to plan this level of sophistication attack?

What is the fight between Hezbollah and Israel?

And what is going on in the Middle East at this time?

Why has it become a dangerous situation? We are seeing another war scene.

Pagers were finished tech like tape recorders. So, who is using this old technology in today's world?

And if you can exploit the solar panels and walkie-talkies remotely, are our mobile phones safe?

Can any government deny that the technology of Pegasus can be used to track their own citizens?

To understand the story of the Pager Blast, we need to understand a little bit of the history of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is one of the heavily armed non-state military forces in the world.

It receives a lot of funding and weapons from Iran.

It is a politically influential Shia Muslim group based in Lebanon.

Today, Hezbollah is considered to be more powerful than their army

Iran propped up Hezbollah in the early 1980s.

It was mandated to oppose the Israel occupation of southern Lebanon and Palestine

Today Hezbollah resists Israeli occupation but is also a major player in Lebanon's political affairs.

According to independent reports, Hezbollah has 20,000 to 50,000 active fighters

And the group has about 2 lakh rocket launchers and missiles,

including small, unguided rockets, anti-aircraft, anti-ship missiles.

So, it's not a small terrorist group.

Many countries consider Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

In the list of these countries, there are USA, Europe, Israel, even the Gulf and Arab nations consider them as terrorist groups.

It is worth noting that India has never designated Hezbollah as terror organization

Hezbollah's political and military influence increase the key role played by their leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah has been leading Hezbollah since 1992. He is a close friend of supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

No one has seen Nasrallah on public platforms for years.

Because he knows that there is a lot of threat on him. Israel will blow him up

These days he gives his messages in the form of televised address to the whole world.

Last year in October, with the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Hezbollah also started to launch rockets on northern Israel almost every day.

Israel had to evacuate more than 60,000 people from its northern border, who could not go back

Nasrallah said that until Israel will continue to bomb Gaza it will also attack

More than 30 Israeli soldiers and over 20 civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks

Israel is also not sitting idle. Israeli Defence Forces have fired air strikes and artillery on Hezbollah.

More than 450 Hezbollah members have lost their lives. Many high level commanders included

More than 100 Lebanese civilians have been killed in attacks, civilians are beaten in such wars.

Israel wants peace to be established on its northern borders so that people can return home.

Israel claims that most of the Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon have been killed in targeted strikes and operations

Among them, Israel killed Fuad Shukr, the senior most leader, in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah believes that Israel can locate and target their commanders precisely because phones tell them their location.

To avoid this surveillance, Nasrallah gave a direction to use pagers and walkie-talkies instead of mobile phones.

And Israel took the next step on that.

Before the invention of mobile phones and smartphones, pagers were very popular in the 1990s.

Pagers also use wireless signals, but it is only used for one-way communication.

To alert someone or to deliver a short message

Although cell phones and smartphones had completely destroyed the pagers market years ago,

there are still some industries and areas where these devices are used.

especially hospitals, fire, emergency services such places where fast and quick communication is needed even without a cellular network

Pagers are very reliable in such cases where there is an accident or a mobile network has collapsed

but Pagers can still work

Seeing these benefits of Pagers, Hezbollah fighters started using these devices instead of mobile phones

They thought that with Pagers they would not be able to track the Pagers and their plans.

But Mossad and other secretive agencies saw this and started planning ahead.

When Nasrallah decided to increase the use of Pagers in Hezbollah, Israel activated its secret mission.

Some people say that it was pre-empted before that.

The first step of this plan was to establish fake pager production and distribution companies.

According to the reports, Hungary-based BAC Consulting, with which Hezbollah ordered to make pagers,

was being run by Israeli intelligence officers themselves

To avoid suspicion, this company made regular pagers for some regular clients

All this was done with so much secrecy that even the people involved in the company did not know

that they were working for Israeli intelligence.

Ultimately, this company started getting its first order from Hezbollah in 2022.

Although these orders did not come directly.

Hezbollah had ordered these pagers to Taiwan's Gold Apollo company

Gold Apollo company has already outsourced its production and branding to BAC Consulting.

Israeli front company

It was time for Israeli officers to take action.

After Hezbollah order, PETN explosive and remote control detonator added to the pagers batteries

In this small chemical manipulation in the battery,

a rudimentary ordinary pager turned into thousands of small live bombs

Israel was waiting for chance to immobilize Hezbollah and to break their communication network.

Israel's intelligence officers called these pagers buttons, which could be pressed at the right time.

According to ABC News, Israel has been planning this sophisticated and large-scale attack for the past fifteen years.

After 15 years time came to press the buttons

It was the right time for Israel. There is a debate about the timing.

The button was to be pressed and saved for an all-out war.

Israel was afraid that Hezbollah would find out about the Pager bomb.

when some Pagers were given for servicing. And they decided to explode the Pagers.

Along with the Pagers, Hezbollah operatives were also using Radio-operated walkie-talkies to avoid Israel's snooping.

But, there was an attack too.

On 18th September, walkie-talkies exploded. And, the brand of the exploded walkie-talkies was Japan's ICOM Group.

Now, there is another twist in the story.

On 19th September, one day after the explosions, when the walkie-talkies exploded, ICOM Company, distancing itself from the whole matter,

said that the production of the exploding walkie-talkies was stopped 10 years ago?

The company also stated in its statement that in 2020 it gave a warning to beware of fake products.

But even today, there are some websites, Chinese e-commerce companies, which make models like this and make them available

And according to ICOM company, these are fake but look real.

The models which exploded read made in China.

Israeli officers may have influenced a Chinese production unit or infiltrated a supply line to Hezbollah.

They inserted PETN explosives and detonators.

Instead of production, they are talking about breaching the supply line.

hey are talking about interfering in the products. But think about it, a positive silver line can be

that, what was thought earlier, that no deadly technology has been invented yet, which can hack any mobile phone, any electronic device and convert it into a bomb.

Israel has made a very long planning was made here Explosives were fitted in such devices

Lebanon and Hezbollah say that they have no doubt in their minds that this work was done by Israel's secretive military intelligence unit 8200

How it was done, how many days it took It will take time to get all the details

But the fact is that a massive attack has taken place along with Hezbollah fighters civilians, hospital staff, two children have also been killed

But this attack has sparked a new debate.

If you want to target terrorists, that's a good thing. Do it.

But when the impact of technological warfare is also coming to light, when you can hack the country's electronic devices

remotely control them, explode them, then not only warfare, but also privacy and safety becomes a serious issue.

When you target normal communication devices, which are in the middle of the citizens,

then the possibility of civilian collateral damage increases.

In a village in southern Lebanon, a 9-year-old girl Fatima picks up her father's pager, and then the pager explodes and her life is lost.

Thousands of people gather during a funeral procession in Beirut, where another explosion occurs, which kills some more civilians.

pagers also exploded on nurses and other healthcare staff

So, can you terrorize an entire population with such attacks?

This attack has set a dangerous precedent. Remember, because today Israel has targeted Hezbollah's devices.

But tomorrow, some other country will target its enemies' smartphones, tablets and laptops.

This chain reaction will become a major threat for civilians around the world.

Day after tomorrow, terrorists will also have the ability to target your and our mobile phones and laptops.

This is why the international community tries to stop them by banning

We have the technology, but we don't allow it to be used as weapon - international laws are in place

And according to the international human law, any kind of booby-trapped weapon, which is used by civilians

which is used in normal daily life, you cannot make it a weapon.

Like the pagers, like the walkie-talkies.

Israel and Lebanon both accept such laws. They are signatories. At least, they believe on paper.

So, experts are clear on the fact that even though they are terrorists, Israel has broken international law by hunting Hezbollah in this way

Now, they have targeted pagers and walkie-talkies, but tomorrow, they can attack smartphones and other devices in this way.

Today, every phone is connected to the internet.

And if someone hacks a phone using advanced cyber warfare technology, then theoretically, he can be turned into a bomb

Just like Israel used sophisticated technology to conduct explosions

the same cyber attack can be used to hack someone's personal device

Don't forget, Pegasus is a gift from Israel, which our government denies

But the fact is that hacking phones has become very easy in today's date

So, Israel has manipulated the devices sent to Hezbollah and turned them into bombs.

What is the guarantee that China will not do the same thing tomorrow?

It may corrupt the batch of phones coming to our country. Either software or hardware or it may add some chemical to them.

And a question mark on security may come to our entire population

we are importing 100 billion dollar goods from China from clothes to high tech equipment

after this attack, the common people of Lebanon are in terror

and the government of Lebanon and Hezbollah have declared state of war against Israel

Hezbollah chief Nasrallah has threatened to give a firm answer.

At the same time, Israel has also started air strikes on Hezbollah sites without wasting time

At the same time, Hezbollah has also started rockets and artillery fire on Israeli territories.

This is a clear escalation and is expected to a large extent.

But at the level at which the Pager explosion attack has been seen, many experts are saying

this is the beginning of something big. Such a big, sophisticated attack can almost always be a curtain-raiser call for an all-out war.

Israel has already started sending its troops to the northern border.

Israeli Defense Minister also said that the center of gravity is shifting to the north, that is, it is shifting from Gaza to Hezbollah

PM Netanyahu talked about peace restoration in northern region

Nasrallah has indicated that Hezbollah won't be quiet after massive attack

Until Israel takes out its troops from Gaza.

On one side, another war is almost ready to break out in the Middle East.

On the other hand, countries like USA, Russia and France are advising both sides to de-escalate

But Netanyahu is not in the mood to listen to the talks.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pentagon officials believe that Israel can soon invade Lebanon

Many regional leaders have already warned that if there is a war between Israel and Lebanon,

it will not be just Lebanon and Israel, but a wider regional conflict will be created

Israel is already busy in Gaza. 40,000 lives have been lost.

If another front opens in this war, then peace deal is far away and wider middle east conflict can be formed

Can the world afford this conflict? Can the economies of the world tolerate another fallout?

This is not just about Middle East, it is about global economy and peace.

After all that has happened, can the matter be settled now?

Or are we witnessing a wider war? Who is right and who is wrong?

What is the red line? According to you, can we make use of pagers, mobile phones in a war?

Please write in the comments below what you think