Lebanon Pager Explosions: A New Tactic in Warfare Allegedly Orchestrated by Israel

The pager explosion in Lebanon stands as a remarkable and unprecedented event in the history of warfare. It introduces a novel method of combat, raising the question: how was such a small, seemingly outdated device like a pager used for such destruction? Hezbollah has accused Israel of masterminding this deadly tactic.

In an era dominated by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Israel has allegedly surprised Hezbollah by weaponizing old technology. Several pager explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday resulted in eight deaths and over 2,700 injuries. Hezbollah’s statement mentioned that their organization’s pagers began exploding mysteriously at 3:30 p.m. But the question remains: why would Israel choose a pager to instill fear in Hezbollah when mobile phones have become far more advanced?

Pagers are an older technology that has been in use for decades. These small, portable electronic devices are primarily designed to receive short messages or alerts, and in some cases, they can send messages as well. Pagers use radio frequencies to receive messages, displaying text and numbers on their screens. There are different types of pagers—numeric pagers, which display only numbers, and alphanumeric pagers, capable of displaying both text and numbers, allowing for more detailed communication.

Despite being largely phased out by mobile phones, pagers are still in use in certain industries, particularly in healthcare and emergency services. They have also been employed for secure intelligence communications. However, the advent of mobile phones, which offer calling, texting, and internet access, has led to a significant decline in pager use. Still, in certain security-sensitive scenarios, pagers continue to be favored.

Regarding the Lebanon pager explosion, an anonymous Hezbollah official told the Associated Press (AP) that these blasts may have been part of a covert operation. The official suggested that Israel could be behind the incident. He also noted that Hezbollah’s pagers were equipped with lithium batteries, which are known for overheating and can potentially emit smoke, melt, or catch fire. Lithium batteries are commonly found in consumer electronics like mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles.

To evade Israeli surveillance, Hezbollah fighters were reportedly using older communication systems like pagers, which made it easier to avoid being tracked. In this incident, it is alleged that Hezbollah had purchased alphanumeric pagers manufactured by Taiwan’s Gold Apollo Company Limited, and Israeli media reports suggest that these specific pagers exploded. Hezbollah has since blamed Israel for the blasts, citing it as a significant security breach.

In response to the incident, Hezbollah has urged its fighters to stop using pagers. Speculation about a potential cyberattack behind the blasts has surfaced, but as of now, Israel has neither denied the allegations nor has Hezbollah provided solid evidence to substantiate their claims.