Report: Radio may have been equipped with explosives

Beirut

According to media reports, hundreds of radio receivers detonated simultaneously in Lebanon were likely previously armed with explosives by Israeli agents. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported that many of the so-called pagers came from a recent shipment to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which is hostile to Israel. Israeli agents intercepted the Taiwanese-made devices before they reached Lebanon and rigged each with about 25 to 50 grams of explosives, the New York Times reported, citing U.S. and other officials briefed on the operation.

Hackers could heat up the pager batteries containing malware and cause them to explode, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an executive director at a U.S. cybersecurity firm. But that would be extremely difficult. Not only would hackers have to know the exact manufacturer and model, but the impact would likely not have been as severe as the explosion video suggests, the expert said. In his opinion, it is more likely that the pager shipments were intercepted on their way from the manufacturer to their destination, with explosives and codes attached.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the simultaneous explosions in Lebanon left about 2,750 people injured and nine dead. The wounded were reportedly many Hezbollah fighters, including members of the elite Radwan unit. According to information from the American news portal Axios, the explosions paralyzed a significant portion of Hezbollah’s military command and control system.

The Israeli strike was intended to destabilize Hezbollah and give the militia a sense that Israeli intelligence was fully infiltrated, Axios said, citing unidentified sources. The Israeli military initially declined to comment on the incident.

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