At least eight people were killed, and nearly 3,000 wounded, after pagers used by Hezbollah members—including fighters and medics—detonated simultaneously across Lebanon. The explosions began around 3:30 p.m. local time in Hezbollah strongholds, including southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh, and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Residents reported hearing explosions for about an hour, with some continuing until 4.30 pm local time.
According to security sources and footage reviewed by Reuters, some of the explosions occurred when the pagers rang, prompting users to check the devices. Footage from hospitals and social media showed injuries ranging from facial wounds to missing fingers and large gashes near the hips, where many users wore their pagers. Despite the widespread injuries, the blasts did not cause major structural damage or fires.
What Are Pagers?
Pagers are wireless telecommunications devices designed to receive and display alphanumeric or voice messages. They gained widespread use in the 1980s but remain in use today by select groups, such as medical professionals. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has used pagers for internal communication because they are less traceable than cell phones.
What Type of Pager Exploded?
Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed that many of the devices bore the design and stickers consistent with models produced by Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based manufacturer. Hezbollah has reportedly relied on pagers as a low-tech method to evade Israeli tracking. Three security sources confirmed that the detonated pagers were a recent model acquired by Hezbollah.
What Caused the Pagers to Explode?
Hezbollah announced that it is conducting a “security and scientific investigation” into the cause of the explosions. Some diplomatic and security sources speculated that the batteries in the pagers might have overheated, causing them to explode. However, experts doubt that battery failure alone would produce explosions of this magnitude.
Paul Christensen, a lithium-ion battery safety expert at Newcastle University, said, “A relatively small battery bursting into flames doesn’t typically cause fatal explosions.” He expressed skepticism that battery malfunction could account for the damage observed.
SMEX, a Lebanese digital rights group, suggested the possibility of tampering. Israel could have exploited a vulnerability in the devices, they speculated, or intercepted the pagers and implanted explosives. Israel’s intelligence services have a history of using explosives in personal devices, according to the book Rise and Kill First.
Official Response
Lebanon’s foreign ministry described the explosions as an “Israeli cyber attack,” though they did not provide evidence for this claim. The Lebanese information minister condemned the attack as a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Israel’s military declined to comment on the pager explosions.