- Lebanese military sources have blamed Israel, but there has been no official word
According to Lebanese security services, pagers used for communication between Hezbollah fighters exploded this afternoon, wounding hundreds.
Since then, there has been speculation that the technology was somehow hacked or sabotaged by Israeli intelligence.
According to a source close to Hezbollah, the incident was a direct result of an “Israeli breach” of Hezbollah communications. However, this has not been confirmed and Israel has not yet commented.
Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosions were likely caused by the lithium batteries that power the pagers.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in consumer electronics, but they can overheat and catch fire, and in some cases, they can even explode violently.
The remains of what is believed to be a pager carried by a Lebanese militant that was detonated earlier today
This afternoon, pagers used by Hezbollah members for essential communications exploded, injuring hundreds.
This is due to a phenomenon called thermal runaway, a chemical chain reaction that occurs when the battery undergoes a rapid temperature change.
As this chemical reaction progresses, energy can be suddenly released, causing devices to explode with tremendous force and heat.
Thermal runaway occurs when the battery is overheated, leaking, or overcharged.
There is no official confirmation yet of the cause of the simultaneous explosion of the beepers. However, Lebanese military sources suspect that the devices were detonated as part of an Israeli attack.
It is possible that Israeli forces or another party hacked these devices and remotely overcharged the battery, causing a thermal runaway.
Pagers often use unencrypted communication channels and outdated software, making them an easy target for attack.
One-way pagers are passive receivers and therefore cannot be tracked. However, when a message is sent, all pager transmitters in the vicinity are activated.
By hijacking the broadcast signal, an attacker could theoretically infect all pagers on the network simultaneously.
Police officers inspect a car in which a pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, September 17, 2024
It is possible that a virus has been implanted into Hezbollah’s pager network and could remain active on the devices until it has spread widely.
This malware could be activated remotely or via a pre-programmed timer.
Video footage shows the devices received a message just before they exploded.
This signal could have triggered the explosion, but it could also have been used to ensure that the fighters were holding the explosives when they detonated.
If these explosions are the result of a cyber attack, this is an exceptionally rare instance of cyber warfare disrupting physical infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged his organization’s members to resume using pagers for essential communications, arguing that modern smartphones are more vulnerable to cyberattacks by Israeli forces.
But like cell phones and many other consumer electronics, pagers also rely on rechargeable lithium batteries to function.
The battery can reach temperatures of 590 degrees Celsius (1,100 F) when ignited.