Pagers and Radios Exploding in Lebanon Raise Concerns Over Device Safety

In Lebanon, a disturbing trend has been reported, where pagers and radios are suddenly exploding in people's hands. This has raised serious concerns over the safety of these devices.

The explosions are often caused by faulty batteries or manufacturing defects. In some cases, users have reported hearing a loud noise before the device explodes.

The use of pagers and radios has become increasingly common in Lebanon, particularly among healthcare workers and emergency responders. However, the recent spate of explosions has left many worried about their safety.

Pagers and radios are often used in high-stress environments, where a sudden explosion could have serious consequences.

The investigation into the exploding pagers and radios has led to some interesting discoveries. The New York Times reported that Israel intercepted a batch of pagers ordered by Hezbollah and planted explosives in them.

It's hard to believe that such a low-tech device like a beeper could be hacked and manipulated. The explosives were allegedly embedded with an embedded switch to detonate them remotely.

The walkie-talkies were also purchased by Hezbollah around the same time as the pagers, approximately five months ago.

The pager attack was likely prompted by Israel's plan to use it as an opening move in an "all-out" offensive against Hezbollah. Unnamed US and Israeli officials revealed this information to Axios.

Detonating the pagers all at once was initially intended to catch Hezbollah off guard. However, Israel became concerned that Hezbollah had become aware of the plan.

Israeli officials have not commented on the allegations, but most analysts agree that it seems likely Israel is behind the attack. Prof Simon Mabon, a chair in International Relations at Lancaster University, noted that Israel has a precedent of using technology to track its targets.

The scale of this attack was unprecedented, according to Prof Mabon. Lina Khatib from the UK-based Chatham House suggested that Israel has deeply infiltrated Hezbollah's communications network.

Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind the attacks and held the country fully responsible for the "criminal aggression" that targeted civilians.

The investigation into how the devices were hijacked is a crucial part of understanding the events that unfolded.

Speculation continues to mount over how these low-tech devices, such as beepers and walk-talkies, could have been hacked and manipulated.

The New York Times reported that Israel intercepted a batch of pagers ordered from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo by Hezbollah and planted the explosives in them, with an embedded switch to detonate them remotely.

Hezbollah purchased the walkie-talkies approximately five months ago, around the same time as the pagers, according to news reports.

Israel's involvement in intercepting the pagers is a significant revelation in the investigation.

Confirmed explosions only involved pagers and two-way radios, with hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploding on Sept. 17, injuring thousands.

The next day, hundreds more were injured after two-way radios used by the group also exploded. These are the only devices confirmed to have exploded as part of the targeted attacks by Israel on Hezbollah.

The explosions occurred despite Hezbollah reportedly stopping the use of cell phones and other devices that constantly send signals prior to the attacks, out of fear that these devices were vulnerable to Israeli surveillance.

Worth a look: Two Way Pager Service

A car and a mobile phone shop were damaged by exploding devices inside them in the southern coastal city of Sidon.

The devices that exploded were walkie-talkies, which were purchased five months ago.

Images of the exploded walkie-talkies showed an inside panel labeled “ICOM” and “Made in Japan.”

ICOM is a Japan-based company specializing in radios and telephones.

Booby traps are prohibited under international law, and weaponizing an object used by civilians is strictly prohibited.

The explosions occurred in Beirut’s southern suburbs and were confirmed by Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers.

The devices exploded inside two cars in the area.

Only two types of devices have been confirmed to have exploded in Lebanon as part of the targeted attacks by Israel on Hezbollah. These devices are pagers and two-way radios.

Thousands of people were injured on September 17 after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded. The next day, hundreds more were injured after two-way radios used by the group also exploded.

As of September 23, no other devices have been confirmed to have exploded. Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the attacks, which killed over 30 people.

Hezbollah reportedly stopped using cell phones and other devices that constantly send signals prior to the attacks out of fear that these devices were vulnerable to Israeli surveillance.

The Icom IC-V82 walkie-talkie, which was involved in the explosions, was manufactured from 2004 to 2014 and has not been shipped since then.

Icom stopped production on the IC-V82 model 10 years ago and also ceased manufacturing the batteries.

The IC-V82 model was exported to the Middle East during its production run, but it's unclear if the devices that exploded were shipped directly from Icom or via a distributor.

Counterfeit versions of the IC-V82 are easily available online, making it difficult to determine the authenticity of the devices.

A sales executive at the US subsidiary of Icom suspects that the devices that exploded in Lebanon are knock-off products.

The pagers that exploded were a new brand, and a Hezbollah operative mentioned that around 5,000 pagers were brought into the country about five months ago.

The Taiwanese manufacturer of the Rugged Pager AR-924, Gold Apollo, has denied any involvement with the explosions.

The company's founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, mentioned that his company had signed an agreement with a Hungarian-based company, BAC, to manufacture the devices and use his company's name.

BAC was first incorporated in 2022, and its company records show that it has been involved in manufacturing devices with Gold Apollo's name.

It's worth noting that the labels on the exploded pagers point to the Rugged Pager AR-924 model, but the authenticity of these labels is unclear.

Additional reading: Openshift Virtualization One Pager