Two Years of Planning Behind the Pager Bomb Allegations and Israeli Involvement, Echoing Past Film Precedents

In Lebanon, on the 17th of this month, thousands of pocket bell-type communication devices exploded, resulting in the deaths of 12 people, including members of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and injuries to over 2,700 individuals.

“The following day, on the 18th, more devices such as walkie-talkies exploded near the capital, Beirut, killing 20 people and injuring over 450. The shocking attacks using common communication devices prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to express strong concern, stating they posed a serious risk of dramatic escalation” (International Section Reporter).

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the series of attacks, but Hezbollah has suggested that Israel is responsible and hinted at retaliation. Amid fears of an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah, which has expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, international journalist Toshihiro Yamada analyzes, “This operation must involve Mossad.” Mossad is Israel’s intelligence agency, considered one of the most advanced spy organizations in the West, second only to the CIA. 

Bomb Attacks of the Past Made into Movies

The method of turning communication devices into bombs is unfamiliar, but according to Yamada, “Israel has long been skilled in attacks using communication equipment.”

“The most famous instance is the retaliation for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Mossad planted a bomb in the home telephone of Mahmoud Hamshari, the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization stationed in France. This act of retaliation was later dramatized in a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Additionally, in 1996, during the assassination of Hamas bomb maker Yahya Ayash by the Israeli Security Agency, a mobile phone bomb was similarly used.

In comparison, this recent attack is characterized by its indiscriminate explosions rather than targeting specific individuals. This approach may have been intended to lower Hezbollah’s morale while minimizing civilian casualties, as it uses less explosives compared to airstrikes.”

Mossad is also adept in cyber warfare. From 2009 to 2010, they were able to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment centrifuges at a nuclear facility using a computer worm called “Stuxnet.” Technology continues to evolve, and in the assassination of Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top figure in Iran’s nuclear development in 2020, an AI-controlled machine gun-type killer robot was employed, which was operated via satellite communication.

In the face of Mossad’s advanced technological capabilities, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah expressed concerns about the risks of phone tapping and GPS tracking revealing their locations. Consequently, starting around February, he announced a shift to using pagers for communication, a decision that has seemingly been exploited against them.

However, how was it possible to embed explosives in thousands of pagers? This operation, described as a modern-day “Trojan horse,” actually began over two years ago. Yamada continues:

“While the address of the manufacturer, BAC Consulting, is listed as District 14 in Budapest, the Hungarian government has explained that there are no manufacturing facilities in Hungary, indicating that it is likely a shell company. According to The New York Times, BAC began exporting pagers to Lebanon in the summer of 2022 and increased their exports after Nasrallah called for a halt to smartphone usage.

Israel meticulously arranged for BAC to engage in normal transactions as a cover for this operation, and it appears they operated at least two other shell companies. Not only did they embed high-performance explosives during the manufacturing phase, but there are also suspicions that spies within Hezbollah influenced the decision-making process regarding the selection of suppliers from the very moment Hezbollah ordered the pagers.”

 The Key to the U.S. Presidential Election

The fear of communication devices being used for attacks has escalated, leading to a belief that the militants’ means of communication will be cut off and they will be increasingly cornered.

What will happen in the future regarding the situation in the Middle East? Yamada believes that the outcome of the U.S. presidential election will have a significant impact.

“If Vice President Harris is elected, Middle Eastern policy will likely follow the path set by the Biden administration. However, if former President Trump is re-elected, his close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu could enable Israel to maneuver more freely, influencing surrounding countries, which may lead to a stabilization of the conflicts between Israel and neighboring factions.”

On the 20th, the Israeli military announced an airstrike on Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, killing Ibrahim Akil, a senior commander of Hezbollah’s military wing. In response to Israel’s escalating actions, Hezbollah declared an unlimited combat stance. The situation on the battlefield is increasingly deteriorating into a quagmire.