Introduction: The Israel-Lebanon Conflict and the Pager Explosions

On 17th September, at 3:30 pm in Lebanon, a message was sent to over 3,000 pagers. People took their pagers in hand to check the message, and then suddenly, explosions followed. Thousands of small blasts shook Lebanon. On roads, in shops, the sound of screams echoed, and chaos erupted. In these explosions, 12 people lost their lives, while 2,700 were injured, many losing hands, feet, private parts, or parts of their faces.

Lebanon struggled with this unprecedented and sophisticated large-scale attack. Soon after, over 500 radio devices, such as walkie-talkies, fingerprint reading devices, and even some solar panels exploded. This second wave of explosions was even more powerful. Many scooters, four-wheelers, shops, and houses were set on fire. By the second day, 25 people were killed, and over 450 were injured.

The Target: Hezbollah and Israel’s Alleged Involvement

Most of the pagers and walkie-talkies that exploded belonged to Hezbollah fighters. This year, a batch of 5,000 pagers was ordered in Lebanon, which Hezbollah used to avoid Israeli surveillance. Israel, using sophisticated software like Pegasus, could track mobile phones. Last year, Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander using this tracking method.

While Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for this massive attack, it has neither denied its alleged involvement. Hezbollah, in the meantime, spoke of revenge. Following the explosion, Hezbollah military commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed in an aerial strike in Beirut. Aqil, who led Hezbollah’s elite Redwan force, was also involved in the 1983 US Embassy bombing in Beirut. The group claims this series of attacks has been a major setback, but they vowed to retaliate.

Decades-Old Conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel

Hezbollah vs Israel is an old antagonistic conflict, and currently, the concern of the world is that it could lead to a regional war, especially with the situation in Gaza. The pager explosions and escalating tensions have made matters rise considerably.

The Use of Pagers and Israel’s New Warfare Tactics

In the Gulf War, the synonym for the phrase ‘high explosives’ first used was ‘precision guided smart bombs’. Further, sequences on predator UAVs and cyber warfare followed. Now Israel appears to have novelized remote electronic warfare by transforming small low level devices into tiny explosive gadgets.

But then, who is Hezbollah, the reason why Israel was said to have undertaken such sophisticated siege against? What is it that Hezbollah and Israel are really fighting about? And for what reason has the present geopolitics in the middle-east become so alarming?

Hezbollah: A Brief Overview

Hezbollah is the strongest armed group that is not a state in the world, and was inflicted with huge finance and weapons from Iran. This influential religious Muslim sect from Lebanon, Shia, is said to be much more powerful than the Lebanese army. The roots of the emergence of Hezbollah can be traced back to the 1980s during which there was a surge in Iranian support for the group aimed at curbing the Israeli domination of South Lebanon and Palestine.

Hezbollah, which is estimated to be fielding 20,000 to 50,000 military personnel and about 200,000 rocket launchers and missiles, is very much active in the political developments in Lebanon even today. Regardless, the majority of the nations consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization, except for India, which has condemned it religiously but never labelled Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

Hezbollah and Israel: a Rising Confrontation

Hezbollah’s military and political strength increased under the leadership of Sheikh Hassan Nasrullah, who has been Chief of that organization since 1992. It is no secret that Nasrullah is a personal ally to the Iranian head of State, Ali Khamenei, and for several years has not appeared in public but only communicated through television.

Following the hostilities which erupted between Israel and Hamas in October last year, Hezbollah commenced its ‘Star Wars’, firing multiple barrages of Sagger rockets into the Northern front of Israel almost on a daily basis . Israel had to evacuate over 60,000 people from its northern border. Nasrullah declared that as long as Israel continues bombing Gaza, Hezbollah will continue its attacks. So far, more than 30 Israeli soldiers and 20 civilians have been killed in Hezbollah’s strikes.

Israel has not remained idle, responding with airstrikes and artillery fire, killing over 450 Hezbollah members and more than 100 Lebanese civilians. In targeted strikes, Israel also eliminated Hezbollah commanders, including Fuad Shukr, a senior leader.

Israel’s Remote Warfare Strategy: The Pager Bombings

Hezbollah fighters began using pagers and walkie-talkies to avoid Israeli surveillance, believing that these old technologies would not be tracked. However, Israel planned ahead. Reports suggest that Israeli intelligence established a fake pager production company, BAC Consulting, in Hungary, and supplied pagers with explosive-filled batteries to Hezbollah.

After the pagers were distributed, Israel waited for the right moment to “press the button.” When Hezbollah started using the devices, Israel triggered the explosives remotely, turning the devices into thousands of small live bombs.

The Aftermath: Walkie-Talkies and Fake Devices

On 18th September, walkie-talkies also exploded. These devices, from Japan’s ICOM Group, had allegedly been discontinued for over ten years. Yet, according to the company, fake models were still being produced and sold on Chinese e-commerce websites. Israel’s intelligence may have infiltrated a Chinese production unit or supply line to Hezbollah, inserting explosives into these devices as well.

The Broader Implications of Israel’s Attack

This attack has raised concerns far beyond the immediate conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. If countries can hack and manipulate everyday devices, turning them into weapons, the privacy and safety of civilians are at risk. The international community has strict laws prohibiting the use of civilian devices in warfare, but these attacks show how easily such laws can be violated.

The harrowing incident of nine-year-old Fatima, who lost her life because she answered her father’s pager, only to die in the subsequent blast attributable to her father’s work, illustrates the perils of this new type of warfare. The conflict does not spare civilians, including health professionals, children and family members.

Conclusion: Have we finally crossed the threshold into a new era of warfare?

That set of bombings has set the stage for more devastating actions against civilians in the future. At present Israel may be attacking Harbala’s devices. What’s stopping other countries from making offensive operations towards smartphones, tablets, laptops and the like. This technological warfare may continue to progress, to the detriment of the civilian population in every corner of the globe.

With Israel’s air offensive increasing and Hezbollah responding with rockets and artillery, many analysts believe we have entered the early stages of a far greater event. Will this mark the onset of a full-fledged war in the Middle Eastern region? Or would the conflict precipitate other nations' involvement; the aftermath of this scenario does not bode well for the world and the current economy.

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Reference:

1. Sanger, David E. The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. Crown, 2018.
2. Magnus. Hezbollah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan, 1997.
3. BBC News. “Hezbollah: Lebanon’s Armed Party.” BBC, June 2024.