According to the New York Times, the pagers used in the simultaneous explosions on Tuesday, which killed at least nine people and injured around 2,800, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, originated from Taiwan. The pagers, which had explosives packed inside them before arriving in Lebanon, were reportedly ordered from the Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo.
The Times, citing anonymous American and other officials, reported that the pagers were tampered with by Israel before they reached Lebanon. A source close to Hezbollah, who wished to remain anonymous, previously told AFP that the pagers involved in the explosions were part of a shipment of 1,000 devices imported by Hezbollah and appeared to have been sabotaged at the source.
The Times also noted that approximately 3,000 pagers, primarily the AR924 model from Gold Apollo, were ordered. Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad confirmed the death toll, stating, “The blasts killed nine people, including a girl.”
Elijah Magnier, a Brussels-based military and security analyst, suggested to AFP that for Israel to embed an explosive trigger within the pagers, it would have required access to the supply chain of these devices. He speculated that Israeli intelligence might have infiltrated the production process, incorporating an explosive component and remote triggering mechanism into the pagers without arousing suspicion.
Magnier also raised the possibility that the third party selling the devices could have been an “intelligence front” set up by Israel.
As of now, Israel has not provided any comment on the incident.
