Thousands injured, several dead after pagers explode across Lebanon: Health officials

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/09/17/world/israel-hamas-war-news

Israel carried out its operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday by hiding explosive material within a new batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation.

The pagers, which Hezbollah had ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, had been tampered with before they reached Lebanon, according to some of the officials. Most were the company’s AR924 model, though three other Gold Apollo models were also included in the shipment.

The explosive material, as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two of the officials said. A switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.

At 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership, two of the officials said. Instead, the message activated the explosives. Lebanon’s health minister told state media at least 11 people were killed and more than 2,700 injured.

The devices were programmed to beep for several seconds before exploding, according to three of the officials.

The American and other officials spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the operation.

Hezbollah has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack but has described limited details of its understanding of the operation. Israel has not commented on the attack, nor said it was behind it.

On Wednesday, Gold Apollo sought to distance itself from the devices used in the attack, saying that they had been made by another manufacturer, B.A.C. Consulting, which Gold Apollo said had an address in Budapest and made the pagers under a license. Efforts to contact B.A.C. were not immediately successful, and calls to a number listed on its website rang unanswered.

Independent cybersecurity experts who have studied footage of the attacks said it was clear that the strength and speed of the explosions were caused by a type of explosive material.

“These pagers were likely modified in some way to cause these types of explosions — the size and strength of the explosion indicates it was not just the battery,” said Mikko Hypponen, a research specialist at the software company WithSecure and a cybercrime adviser to Europol.

Keren Elazari, an Israeli cybersecurity analyst and researcher at Tel Aviv University, said the attacks had targeted Hezbollah where they were most vulnerable.

Earlier this year, Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, strictly limited the use of cellphones, which he saw as increasingly vulnerable to Israeli surveillance, according to some of the officials as well as security experts.

“This attack hit them in their Achilles’ heel because they took out a central means of communication,” Ms. Elazari said. “We have seen these types of devices, pagers, targeted before but not in an attack this sophisticated.”

Over 3,000 pagers were ordered from the Gold Apollo company in Taiwan, said several of the officials. Hezbollah distributed the pagers to their members throughout Lebanon, with some reaching Hezbollah allies in Iran and Syria. Israel’s attack affected the pagers that were switched on and receiving messages.

It remained unclear on Tuesday precisely when the pagers were ordered and when they arrived in Lebanon.

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The amount of insane ops Israel has pulled off could prob start a video game franchise.

Too bad I'm the type of gamer who would play Hitman only to camp in the front entrance and mow every bot down like a First Person Shooter...

The Scientist and the A.I.-Assisted, Remote-Control Killing Machine

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Look at Israel's data collection espionage industry. It's used to target individuals including Americans who might be vocal in criticism of a corporation for example. See eBay ans it's insane targeted attack on some online bloggers for example.

I don't like when people call this stuff cool or awesome. This isn't good for society at all.

 

You have to admit though, it is ingenious.....

DD

 

I didn't hear you say any of this while Hezbollah - the same guys who just got their nuts blown off, in a very targeted manner - have been raining rockets on Israeli civilians every day, including the murder of Muslim kids on a soccer field.

 

They need to set their differences aside and look at more important things, like how Kamala was raised in the middle class....

 

and loved her lawn?

 

Or a Wile E Coyote cartoon
@basso

 

I shed no tears for terrorist, but I feel very uncomfortable with the idea of hidden explosives in everyday items and let it go into the populace. Especially if it's placed in things like laptops, walkie-talkies, and pages that more than just terrorists would use.

There is nothing stopping people from selling or giving these rigged items to other people. I don't want to have to start worry about having to x-ray the phone I buy from ebay because it might be booby trapped.

Even new items you buy wouldn't be safe if these items get into the supply chain. With retailers like Amazon that comingles all of third party and even first party inventory, risk would not be zero.

I think it's going to be like land mines, extremely effective at being weapons of war, but it's going to be the civilians that will pay the price for years down the line.

 

Take this antisemitic garbage to the dumpster. No nation has ever taken more precautions when exploding people in civilian areas than Israel.

 

I’m all for Hezbollah and Hamas to get looney Tunes acme tnt when they turn on their Sony Walkmans listening to back street boys

 

Very educational.

 

Are they going to get blown up listening to Kamala Harris podcasts and old school Taylor Swift songs on their Best Buy MP3 players?

 

They can do whatever they want to do, but we don’t need to be funding it or be involved in anyway. There is enough blood on Israeli and Iranian hands to cast blame.

I want nothing to do with Israel or Iran.

 

Fetterman is based.

 

You personally don't, but you are wrong.

 

You are entitled to your opinion but I don’t think the majority of Americans want anything to do with Israel or Iran. They both will do fine without our involvement.

 

This is so barbaric.

20 more dead, 450 injured as new round of explosions rocks Lebanon: Health officials

https://abc7.com/post/explosions-wi...h-members-child-killed-pager-attack/15320074/

 

So far, America's support for the only democracy in the Middle East has been fairly steadfast, under Republican governments and Democrat governments alike (although Obama unfortunately helped Iran unlock the funds for their proxy wars).