Reports indicate that Israel's Mossad planted explosives in 5,000 Taiwanese-made pagers ordered by Hezbollah months before their detonation on Tuesday. According to senior Lebanese security sources, these pagers, which are widely used by Hezbollah members, exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and parts of Syria, resulting in at least nine fatalities and numerous injuries.

The pagers, manufactured by the Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo, were smuggled into Lebanon between April and May. Sources informed Reuters that Mossad had embedded explosives within the devices, which detonated when activated by a coded message. This covert modification rendered the explosives nearly impossible to detect.

Hezbollah
Image Source: Council on Foreign Relations

Sky News Arabia reported that Mossad placed PETN, a highly explosive material, in the pager batteries, detonating them by remotely increasing the battery temperature. Al Jazeera stated that each device contained less than 20 grams of explosive material and had been imported five months prior.

In retaliation, Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, accusing it of orchestrating the explosions. Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary condemned the incident as "Israeli aggression." Israeli authorities have yet to comment on these allegations. Hezbollah, which uses pagers to avoid Israeli surveillance, is currently in conflict with Israel following the Hamas attack on October 7. This approach is not without precedent; former U.S. National Security Agency analyst David Kennedy noted that in 1996, Israel allegedly used a similar tactic to assassinate Hamas leader Yahya Ayyash by embedding explosives in a mobile phone.

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