Lebanon pager blasts: Israeli forces suspected of infiltrating supply chain

The Israeli forces have been suspected of infiltrating supply chain and rigging pagers used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon with explosives, triggering blasts which-led to deaths of at least 12 people and injuries to nearly 3,000 others.

The explosions too place around 3.30pm on Tuesday as people were busy in various activities such as shopping and driving vehicles. Most people also experienced their pagers heating up and then exploding.

Who manufactured pagers?

The pagers were manufactured by company based in Budapest which was authorised by Taiwan's Gold Apollo to use its branding.

According to Gold Apollo, the AR-924 pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital.

“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” reported AP quoting company's statement.

Why devices exploded?

According to the Times of Israel, analysts say that the devices were corrupted before the delivery and were set to explode at a specific time.

Quoting sources, a report said that a quantity of PETN, a highly explosive material, was used by the Israeli spy agency on the batteries of the devices, which were detonated by raising the temperature of the batteries from afar.

Referring to Israel’s intelligence agency, Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute, said that "Mossad infiltrated the supply chain."

“A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery, for remote detonation via a call or page,” Lister told the Times of Israel.

What former CIA analyst says?

Terming it a classic sabotage, former CIA analyst Mike Dimino said that Israeli intel likely determined who was sourcing communication equipment for Hezbollah and types of equipment they were using.

"Then, perhaps either by using an asset to pose as a seller, or simply by inserting compromised devices directly into vulnerable points in Hezbollah’s supply chain (maybe a transport truck or a commercial vessel) they are spread through the organization," Dimino added in a post on X.

The analyst also noted that he had seen some reports that the batteries were made to overheat, but was not ready to buy that assumption, adding, "You’d feel the heat + remove it. It’s possible, but pagers are simple devices w/small batteries. I’d assume they were pre-set to explode at a certain time rather than command-detonated."

Batteries failed?

Paul Christensen, an expert in lithium ion battery safety at Newcastle University, said the damage seemed inconsistent with past cases of such batteries failing.

"What we're talking about is a relatively small battery bursting into flames. We're not talking of a fatal explosion here...my intuition is telling me that it's highly unlikely," Reuters quoted Paul Christensen as saying.