.png)
2 days ago
11
What we know about the attack as new explosions this time with walkie-talkies rock Beirut and Lebanon
Published Sep 18, 2024 • 10 minute read
A second attack involving exploding electronic devices occurred in Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanon’s health ministry says one person was killed and over 100 were wounded, the Associated Press is reporting. The blasts follows an attack on Tuesday when multiple pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 people and wounded around 2,700.A company based in Hungary was responsible for manufacturing the pagers that exploded on Tuesday, says AP. The attack marked an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has often been on the verge of all-out war.
Advertisement 2
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
- Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
- Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
- Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
- Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
- Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account.
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
- Enjoy additional articles per month.
- Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Article content
On Tuesday the pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria. It appeared that most of the people affected were members or linked to members of Hezbollah, reports the New York Times. The Lebanese Health Ministry said health-care workers and two children were among those killed.
Hezbollah, Lebanon and Iran have blamed the operation on Israel, an assessment confirmed by U.S. officials. However, Israel has not confirmed or denied responsibility.
Recommended from Editorial
-
How did Hezbollah get the pagers that exploded in Lebanon? Al Jazeera traces a pager supply chain from Taiwan to Hungary to Lebanon — including a three-month port layover during which explosives might have been placed in the devices. Pagers on display at a meeting room at the Gold Apollo company building in New Taipei City, Taiwan, Video Duration 07 minutes 16 seconds 07:16 By Sarah Shamim Published On 18 Sep 2024 18 Sep 2024 Hundreds of pagers belonging to the armed group Hezbollah exploded on Tuesday in Lebanon, killing at least 12 people and wounding about 2,750. Some pagers belonging to Hezbollah also exploded in Syria, leading to some injuries. Lebanon, Hezbollah and the group’s allies have all blamed Israel. But what really happened? Many analysts believe the answer might lie in how Hezbollah got the pagers in the first place — because that might hold clues to whether the devices were tampered with to facilitate the explosions. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Exploding pagers injure thousands in Lebanon in attack targeting Hezbollah list 2 of 4 How did Hezbollah’s pagers explode in Lebanon? list 3 of 4 US downplays ability to prevent escalation after Lebanon pager explosions list 4 of 4 Taiwan drawn into Middle East politics after deadly pager blasts in Lebanon end of list Here’s what we know and what experts believe might have happened: What happened to the Hezbollah pagers in Lebanon? About 3:30pm (12:30 GMT), hundreds of pagers all over Lebanon started exploding. Hezbollah released a statement on Tuesday saying two of its fighters and a girl were killed as “pagers belonging to employees of various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded”. The Iran-backed group attributed the pager blasts to Israel, which has been involved in tit-for-tat attacks with Hezbollah across the Lebanon-Israel border since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza. Interactive_Lebanon_Exploding pagers-1726648342 Israel’s military has refused to comment on the explosions. Hezbollah has promised retaliation against Israel. Sign up for Al Jazeera Weekly Newsletter The latest news from around the world. Timely. Accurate. Fair. E-mail address Subscribe By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy protected by reCAPTCHA A Lebanese security source and another source told the Reuters news agency that the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, planted explosives in 5,000 pagers that Hezbollah had ordered months before the explosions. The sources said a code was simultaneously sent to 3,000 of the pagers, triggering the explosions. Advertisement How did the Hezbollah pagers explode? While the exact mechanism used for the pager explosions is unclear at the moment, some experts speculate that the radio system that the pagers rely on was hacked, possibly through a doctored code. The batteries of the pagers could have been triggered to overheat, leading to a process called thermal runaway, which in turn caused the pager batteries to explode. Some analysts, including Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British army officer and chemical weapons expert, have speculated that the pagers may also have been tampered with along the supply chain and wired to explode on command. But Brussels-based military and political analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera his sources close to the ground in Lebanon had shared details from initial investigations carried out by Hezbollah on pagers that did not explode. Those investigations suggest that Israel placed 1 to 3 grammes (0.04 to 0.11oz) of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), a powerful explosive, in each device. How were explosives placed in the pagers? Lebanon faces a range of sanctions from the United States, European Union and their Western partners. In addition, the US, United Kingdom and their allies, such as Japan, list Hezbollah among “terrorist” organisations. Advertisement That means that companies both registered in these domains or trading with these countries are wary of direct transactions, especially in technology, with Hezbollah — and often with Lebanon at all. In this case, Magnier said, the pagers procured by Hezbollah were with a third party and they sat at a port for three months, awaiting clearances, before they were finally moved to the Lebanese group. Hezbollah suspects that it was during those three months that Israel managed to plant explosives in the devices, the military analyst said. He added that Hezbollah’s investigation so far shows that metal balls were placed around the pager batteries, allowing the explosive force to propel metal fragments outward, “significantly increasing the lethality of the blast”. He added that this was also done during the three months when the shipment was on hold. But where were the pagers made — and when? Advertisement Taiwan or Hungary? The trademark of Taiwan pager manufacturer Gold Apollo has been identified on the remains of the exploded pagers, which appear to belong to the company’s AR-924 model. On Wednesday, the company released a statement denying that it had manufactured Hezbollah’s pagers and saying it was only its logo that was on the devices. Instead, the pagers had been built by a Hungarian company called BAC through a licensing deal, the Taiwan firm said. “The design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC,” Gold Apollo said in a statement. “We only provide brand trademark authorisation and have no involvement in the design manufacturing of this product.” BAC has not commented so far. The evidence so far suggests that Hezbollah acquired the pagers around February when the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, ordered members to stop using cellphones because they could be easily intercepted and monitored by Israeli intelligence. INTERACTIVE-HOW-DO-PAGERS-WORK What do we know about BAC? BAC Consulting is based in Hungary’s capital, Budapest. Advertisement Reuters reported that the stated address for BAC is a peach-coloured building in a residential area. While the company’s name is posted there on an A4 sheet of paper, an anonymous source present at the building told the news agency the company does not have a physical presence at the building despite being registered there. According to LinkedIn, BAC’s CEO is Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, whose profile says she has worked for various organisations, including UNESCO. Her profile says: “We offer in-depth consulting guiding our client’s journey toward innovation, sustainability, and equity while ensuring connection, and authenticity. Our main services are business development, management consultancy, strategy and partnership planning.” Al Jazeera reached out to BAC but did not receive a response. The name of BAC Consulting KFT is listed on paper pasted on the window of an office building where the company is said to be registered, in Budapest, Hungary, September 18, 2024. The name of BAC Consulting KFT is listed on a sheet of paper pasted on the window of an office building in Budapest, Hungary, where the company is said to be registered [Marton Monus/Reuters] Source: Al Jazeera AL JAZEERA PODCASTS podcast episode artwork Al Jazeera News Updates Breaking: A second day of explosions in Lebanon start listening follow What’s behind Germany’s raging Islamophobia Advertisement About About Us Code of Ethics Terms and Conditions EU/EEA Regulatory Notice Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Cookie Preferences Sitemap Work for us Connect Contact Us User Accounts Help Advertise with us Apps Newsletters Channel Finder TV Schedule Podcasts Submit a Tip Our Channels Al Jazeera Arabic Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera Investigative Unit Al Jazeera Mubasher Al Jazeera Documentary Al Jazeera Balkans AJ+ Our Network Al Jazeera Centre for Studies Al Jazeera Media Institute Learn Arabic Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights Al Jazeera Forum Al Jazeera Hotel Partners Follow Al Jazeera English: Al Jazeera Media Network logo © 2024 Al Jazeera Media Network
-
Hezbollah is hit by a wave of exploding pagers that killed at least 9 people and injured thousands
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
The pager attack began when the units started heating up and then exploding in their owners’ hands or pockets, leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders. The attack affected pagers that were switched on and receiving messages.
Officials and analysts said the pagers appear to have been tampered with before they made it into the hands of Hezbollah members.
Israel is alleged to have hidden tiny explosives inside a batch of Taiwanese-branded pagers imported to Lebanon. The explosive material, as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, according to American officials briefed on the operation. A switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives, reports the Times.
Brussels-based military and political analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera the pagers procured by Hezbollah were with a third party and they sat at a port for three months, awaiting clearance, before they were finally moved to the Lebanese group. Hezbollah suspects it was during those three months that Israel managed to plant explosives in the devices.
Advertisement 4
Article content
A third party would be necessitated by Lebanon facing a range of sanctions from the United States, the European Union and their Western partners. Additionally, the U.S., United Kingdom and their allies, such as Japan, list Hezbollah as a “terrorist” organization. That means companies registered in these countries, or trading with them, are wary of transactions, especially dealing in technology, with Hezbollah or Lebanon.
Officials said that Hezbollah ordered more than 3,000 pagers, distributing them not just to fighters, but also to rank-and-file members across Lebanon and in Syria and Iran. It is not clear when the pagers were ordered or when they arrived in Lebanon, reports the Times.
Hezbollah’s reliance on pagers increased after the October 7 attacks on Israel, when its leader warned that Israeli intelligence had penetrated the cellphone network, according to security experts. Analysts said that in trying to guard against one vulnerability, Hezbollah had opened itself to another fatal attack.
The AR-924 pagers used in Tuesday’s attack were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, which is based in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, according to a statement released by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm that authorized the use of its brand on the pagers. BAC appears to be a shell company.
Advertisement 5
Article content
“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize 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,” Gold Apollo said in its statement. The company’s chair, Hsu Ching-kuang, told journalists Wednesday that the firm has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years.
BAC Consulting Kft is a limited liability company, registered in May 2022, according to company records. At the headquarters in a residential neighborhood of Budapest, the names of multiple companies, including BAC Consulting, were posted on pieces of paper in a window, AP reports.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said from the beginning of 2022 until August 2024, Gold Apollo has exported 260,000 sets of pagers, including more than 40,000 sets between January and August of this year. The ministry said that it had no records of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon.
The sophisticated, apparently remote attack renewed fears that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza could spill into a wider regional conflict.
Advertisement 6
Article content
Hezbollah is a Hamas ally and has exchanged fire with Israeli forces almost daily since the October 2023 Hamas attack in southern Israel. Since then, hundreds have been killed in the strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced.
Hezbollah and Israel have carefully avoided an all-out war, but Israeli leaders have issued a series of warnings in recent weeks that they might increase operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, according to an official with knowledge of the movements.
Hezbollah said in a statement Wednesday morning that it would continue its normal strikes against Israel, separate from a “reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre on Tuesday.”
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Article content
Bengali (BD) · 
English (US) ·