Israel’s Mossad has been at the centre of a recent controversy following reports that it planted explosives inside Taiwan-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah. According to sources from Lebanon’s security forces, the devices were rigged to explode, leading to a tragic outcome on Tuesday that left nine people dead and nearly 3,000 injured.
This event took place across Lebanon and Syria, with widespread reports of simultaneous explosions. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, had ordered around 5,000 pagers from a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo earlier in the year.
These pagers, a relatively low-tech means of communication, were likely used by Hezbollah to avoid detection from Israeli surveillance systems. However, it seems that Mossad had anticipated this move.
According to Hezbollah, Mossad inserted a small but lethal explosive device inside the pagers, which could be triggered remotely. The nature of the explosive made it difficult to detect through conventional scanning or other means.
The model of one of the pagers that exploded has been identified as the AP924, consistent with those produced by Gold Apollo, as revealed by images of the damaged devices.
Security sources explained that Mossad used PETN, a powerful explosive material, for the plot. The explosives were placed on the batteries of the devices, and they were reportedly detonated by remotely raising the temperature of the batteries.
This method is difficult to detect, making it an efficient but deadly tactic. In Syria alone, there were around 100 incidents of pager explosions, indicating the widespread nature of this coordinated attack.
The explosives in each pager weighed less than 20 grams, which was enough to cause serious damage, as evidenced by the deaths and injuries. Reports suggest that the devices were smuggled into Lebanon between April and May of this year, with the operation being in place for several months before the explosions took place.
Hezbollah, in response to this attack, has vowed to retaliate against Israel. The militant group, which has been in an ongoing conflict with Israel, especially after the October 7 attack by Hamas, has blamed Israel for this recent incident.
The group has promised that Israel will face consequences for its actions. Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary echoed these sentiments, condemning the explosions as an act of Israeli aggression.
The use of pagers as a communication tool by Hezbollah has been a strategic decision, given their simplicity and the ability to avoid detection through Israeli tracking systems.
However, Mossad’s tactics in this case demonstrate the lengths to which Israeli intelligence is willing to go to counteract Hezbollah’s operations. This is not the first time that Israel has allegedly used such methods to target its enemies.
A well-known example is the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Ayyash in 1996, in which an explosive device was planted in a mobile phone. The phone detonated when Ayyash made a call to his father, and Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency was reported to have been involved in that operation.
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