Pagers injure thousands in Lebanon and Syria; here's all you need to know about the device and how they turned into bombs

Pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday in what appears to be a well-planned, remote attack, killing at least 12 people, including two children and injuring thousands more.

Israel briefed the United States on Tuesday after the operation, which involved detonating small amounts of explosives concealed in pagers, according to a U.S. official. The speaker was not authorized to discuss the information publicly, so they spoke under the condition of anonymity. The lethal explosions, which appeared to have been a well-planned operation and targeted an unusually large number of people, were attributed to Israel by the militant group supported by Iran.

Investigators have not yet revealed how the pagers were detonated, and most details regarding the attack's execution are unclear. The Israeli army has refrained from making any comments. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, issued a warning to his followers not to carry cell phones because Israel might use them to monitor their whereabouts. Consequently, the company communicates via pagers. The Associated Press was informed by a Hezbollah official that the detonating devices came from a new brand that the group had never used before. The official did not name the supplier or brand; he spoke under oath since he was not permitted to speak to the media.

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The AR-924 pager model was developed and marketed by Budapest, Hungary-based BAC Consulting, with brand usage approved by Taiwanese company Gold Apollo on Wednesday. It took some time for more details about BAC to become available. When compared to pagers, which have less complicated technology, smartphones are more likely to have communications intercepted, according to Nicholas Reese, adjunct instructor at the Center for Global Affairs in New York University's School of Professional Studies.

Reese, a former intelligence officer, added that survivors of Tuesday's explosions are likely to discard not just their pagers but their phones and leave their tablets or any other electronic devices. This kind of attack will also force Hezbollah to change their communication strategies.

How could these pagers blow up due to sabotage?

Despite a U.S. official stating that the attack was a planned operation by Israel, several theories regarding how the attack could have been executed surfaced on Tuesday. Speaking with The Associated Press, many experts clarified that supply-chain disruption was most likely the cause of the explosions. Before being delivered to Hezbollah, the pagers may have included tiny explosive devices that were later remotely detonated all at once, maybe using a radio signal. According to Carlos Perez, director of security intelligence at TrustedSec, the battery was probably half-explosive and half-actual battery at the time of the attack.

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A pager attack in Lebanon has been attributed to a tiny explosive device, similar to an electric detonator alone or one with a high explosive charge. The attack is believed to have been carried out by Israel's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad. The sophistication of the attack suggests that the culprit has been collecting intelligence for a long time, and the compromised pagers may have seemed normal to their users before the attack. The attack raises questions of targeting and the number of causalities and enormous impact reported so far.

FAQs

Why did the attack use pagers?
Instead of using cellphones for communication, Hezbollah members used pagers to avoid being tracked. This was exploited by the attackers, who inserted explosives within the pagers.

Why did the pagers blow up?
It is probable that the pagers had tiny explosives concealed inside during production. These detonated nearly simultaneously in Syria and Lebanon as a result of being remotely triggered.