Exploding Pagers Injure Hundreds in Lebanon

[toucana]

Thousands of members of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have been injured when handheld pagers they use to communicate with one another suddenly exploded without warning this afternoon.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/lebanon-pagers-attack-hezbollah/index.html

The wave of blasts in Beirut and other areas began around 15.45 local time (1345 GMT), causing mass panic and many hundreds of signficant injuries. The casualties reportedly include Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon.

According to Reuters, Hezbollah spokesmen say the incident constitutes the biggest security breach of their communications infrastructure in the history of their conflict with Israel.

There is much speculation as to how this was achieved. It would appear that a malware exploit caused the lithium-ion batteries inside the pagers to overheat and explode. Battery fires can burn at up to 590 degrees celsius (1,100F) when  a unit is sent into thermal runaway.

Earlier this year Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Narallah urged members of his organisation to revert to using pagers for vital communications, reasoning that modern smartphones would be more susceptible to cyber attacks by Israeli forces.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13860239/Hundreds-Hezbollah-fighters-wounded-PAGERS-explode.html

In reality, pagers often use unencrypted comms channels and outdated software, making them easy targets to attack and plant viruses in.

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:06 PM by toucana
missing 'to' para 4, removed extra 'sent'

[exchemist]

52 minutes ago, toucana said:

Thousands of members of the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon have been injured when handheld pagers they use to communicate with one another suddenly exploded without warning this afternoon.

https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/lebanon-pagers-attack-hezbollah/index.html

The wave of blasts in Beirut and other areas began around 15.45 local time (1345 GMT), causing mass panic and many hundreds of signficant injuries. The casualties reportedly include Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon.

According to Reuters, Hezbollah spokesmen say the incident constitutes the biggest security breach of their communications infrastructure in the history of their conflict with Israel.

There is much speculation as to how this was achieved. It would appear that a malware exploit caused the lithium-ion batteries inside the pagers to overheat and explode. Battery fires can burn at up to 590 degrees celsius (1,100F) when  a unit is sent into thermal runaway.

Earlier this year Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Narallah urged members of his organisation to revert to using pagers for vital communications, reasoning that modern smartphones would be more susceptible to cyber attacks by Israeli forces.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13860239/Hundreds-Hezbollah-fighters-wounded-PAGERS-explode.html

In reality, pagers often use unencrypted comms channels and outdated software, making them easy targets to attack and plant viruses in.

 

Looks like a really impressive piece of cyber warfare, targetting only the fighters equipped with pagers and simultaneously injuring them,  knocking out their comms and sowing panic. Very clever. Just wish the bloody IDF would be more targetted in Gaza. But since ethnic cleansing seems to be the unstated aim there, not much hope of that.

[toucana]

New reporting from the NYT says this was a joint Mossad/IDF operation in which explosive material was planted in a batch of new Taiwanese-made pagers recently imported into Lebanon by Hezbollah.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/17/world/middleeast/israel-hezbollah-pagers-explosives.html

The explosives were concealed next to the battery, with an embedded detonation switch that could be remotely triggered by a text message.

[iNow]

Yes, they git intercepted in the supply chain after Hezbollah leadership had them switch to pagers for fear of Israel intercepting comms. 

[TheVat]

Cruel and cowardly as much of warfare now is.  Not everyone who buys a pager is going to be an enemy combatant.  Makes me think of that alien device in the original Star Trek series which allows Bad Universe Kirk to remotely vaporize people he doesn't like with the push of a button.  Humans shouldn't be entrusted with anything beyond pointed sticks.  

/venting

Edited Wednesday at 01:52 AM by TheVat
bosjeufuriidsudyfgfufjdjd

[zapatos]

32 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Not everyone who buys a pager is going to be an enemy combatant. 

I tend to believe this was a targeted attack. While the Israelis don't seem all that concerned about collateral damage, I don't believe they were just hoping that some of the pagers might be carried by members of Hezbollah.

Edited Wednesday at 02:21 AM by zapatos

[iNow]

4 minutes ago, zapatos said:

I tend to believe this was a targeted attack. While the Israelis don't seem all that concerned about collateral damage, I don't believe they were just hoping that some of the pagers might be carried by members of Hezbollah.

From the cipher brief (intelligence knew the order was made and intercepted it along the supply chain):

Lebanese media outlets and Sky News Arabia quoted  sources claiming that Israel’s Mossad spy agency got hold of Hezbollah’s new pagers before they reached the group, placed the explosive PETN on the devices’ batteries – and then detonated them today by raising their temperatures from afar. 
 
Speculation notwithstanding, this much is clear: if Israel was behind the explosions, it marks another successful, highly sophisticated and provocative Israeli operation against an Iranian proxy far behind enemy lines.

[StringJunky]

2 hours ago, TheVat said:

Cruel and cowardly as much of warfare now is.  Not everyone who buys a pager is going to be an enemy combatant.  Makes me think of that alien device in the original Star Trek series which allows Bad Universe Kirk to remotely vaporize people he doesn't like with the push of a button.  Humans shouldn't be entrusted with anything beyond pointed sticks.  

/venting

Zionists and their New Aryan Army don't give a shit.

Edited Wednesday at 04:35 AM by StringJunky

[iNow]

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/18/hezbollah-pager-explosions-israel-suspicions

Quote

Behind the scenes: A former Israeli official with knowledge of the operation said Israeli intelligence services planned to use the booby-trapped pagers it managed to "plant" in Hezbollah's ranks as a surprise opening blow in an all- out war to try to cripple Hezbollah.

• But in recent days, Israeli leaders became concerned that Hezbollah might discover the pagers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his top ministers and the heads of the Israel Defense Forces and the intelligence agencies decided to use the system now rather than take the risk of it being detected by Hezbollah, a U.S. official said. 
• The Israeli concerns that led to the decision to conduct the attack were first reported by Al-Monitor, which said two Hezbollah operatives raised suspicions about the pagers in recent days.

 

[StringJunky]

35 minutes ago, iNow said:

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/18/hezbollah-pager-explosions-israel-suspicions

 

That basically looks like an act of common garden terrorism on innocent people. Foot shot,  I think in the overall propaganda war.

[joigus]

Let's hope no doctors who were time traveling forward from the '90s have been harmed in this vicious attack.

[Externet]

53 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

That basically looks like an act of common garden terrorism on innocent people.

Interesting point of view, StringJunky.  I perceive it completely opposite, being my opinion wrong or right...   

Uncommonly brilliantly directed strictly and only to the combatants that are entitled to have the pagers.   I suppose there is no way to be right as there always be peripherial unintended innocent targets.

[toucana]

Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese firm who manufacture these AR-924 pagers say that they licensed the technology and trademark to a Hungarian firm in Budapest called BAC Consulting. The latter deny actually building the pagers, which probably means they sub-contracted the job to another local electronics firm.

https://news.sky.com/story/middle-east-latest-eight-dead-in-pager-explosions-include-hezbollah-fighters-militant-group-says-12978800

As noted in iNow’s clip from Axios, various sources suggest that Israel planned to trigger these explosions as the prelude to an all-out attack on Hezbollah, but were forced to activate the plan prematurely because they feared that its secrecy had been compromised - i.e. it was a ‘use it or lose it’ scenario.

[StringJunky]

12 minutes ago, Externet said:

Interesting point of view, StringJunky.  I perceive it completely opposite, being my opinion wrong or right...   

Uncommonly brilliantly directed strictly and only to the combatants that are entitled to have the pagers.   I suppose there is no way to be right as there always be peripherial unintended innocent targets.

 

3 minutes ago, toucana said:

As noted in iNow’s clip from Axios, various sources suggest that Israel planned to trigger these explosions as the prelude to an all-out attack on Hezbollah, but were forced to activate the plan prematurely because they feared that its secrecy had been compromised - i.e. it was a ‘use it or lose it’ scenario.

It's fortunate for the Palestinian cause that its effectiveness was reduced. I'm just wondering when the suicide bombers will be unleashed.

[zapatos]

1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

 

It's fortunate for the Palestinian cause that its effectiveness was reduced. I'm just wondering when the suicide bombers will be unleashed.

Are you referring to Palestinian suicide bombers used in retaliation?

[StringJunky]

21 minutes ago, zapatos said:

Are you referring to Palestinian suicide bombers used in retaliation?

Yes, I'm surprised they haven't been out causing mayhem by now.

[toucana]

According to the BBC, Reuters are now reporting (as of 6 minutes ago) that hand-held Walkie-Talkie radio units have begun exploding in south Beirut, the day after the wave of pager explosions:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyl9048gx8t

These hand-held radios were apparently acquired by Hezbollah about 5 months ago, at the same time as the pagers.

Edited Wednesday at 02:42 PM by toucana
'in' for 'on' line 1

[iNow]

1 hour ago, Externet said:

there is no way to be right as there always be peripherial unintended innocent targets.

Some ways are more likely to result in collateral damage than others. Here, the pagers blew up right next to children and non-combatants, and killed at least one. 

[toucana]

Home solar energy systems have now started exploding in parts of Beirut according to the official Lebanese news agency - (video report)

https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/lebanons-official-news-agency-claims-home-solar-energy-systems-exploded-in-several-areas-of-beirut-video-surfaces

[CharonY]

I do wonder about safety of supply chains in general. With increasing complexity a lot of shady things can be hidden, it seems.

4 hours ago, joigus said:

Let's hope no doctors who were time traveling forward from the '90s have been harmed in this vicious attack.

I think in hospitals pagers are still in use. I was told by a resident (a while back though) that they prefer it over cell phones when on call, as they feared getting spammed and distracted and prefered to have a seperate system that alerts them to emergencies.

[Mordred]

19 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I do wonder about safety of supply chains in general. With increasing complexity a lot of shady things can be hidden, it seems.

I think in hospitals pagers are still in use. I was told by a resident (a while back though) that they prefer it over cell phones when on call, as they feared getting spammed and distracted and prefered to have a seperate system that alerts them to emergencies.

My ex wife is a personal care aid. They required pagers as cell phones were too easily abused where the worker would steal company time playing on their cell phones.

[CharonY]

Huh, makes sense. I would ban cellphones from the lab, if I could. 

[Mordred]

8 minutes ago, CharonY said:

Huh, makes sense. I would ban cellphones from the lab, if I could. 

Lol trying to find companies that still remember how to program pagers however is rather tricky.

[CharonY]

I would think that carriers would also be a limitation in many areas. Not that I would need pagers in my lab. I'd just like to get folks using pipettors instead of playing with their cell phones every few minutes. Gosh, I feel old.

[Mordred]

9 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I would think that carriers would also be a limitation in many areas. Not that I would need pagers in my lab. I'd just like to get folks using pipettors instead of playing with their cell phones every few minutes. Gosh, I feel old.

Join the club lol. Yes carriers are limited however certain Motorolla two way radio repeaters can handle pagers and can further get IP connected for either internet or phone. Higher end two way radios can also have pager capabilities. 

 

Edited Wednesday at 06:29 PM by Mordred