In Beirut, weaponized pagers arrived at the start of the year as part of an Israeli plot to target Hezbollah. These pagers contained batteries with deceptive features and a hidden explosive charge, according to a Lebanese source and teardown photos seen by Reuters.
To conceal the explosives, the agents designed a battery pack with a small amount of plastic explosive and a hidden detonator. To cover up the lack of a plausible backstory for the new product, fake online stores and posts were created to deceive Hezbollah, as revealed by a Reuters review of web archives.
The unique design of the pager bomb and the battery’s cover story shed light on the execution of a long-term operation that has impacted Israel’s Lebanese foe and escalated tensions in the Middle East.
The battery pack contained plastic explosive squeezed between battery cells, with a flammable material strip acting as the detonator. The assembly was encapsulated in a metal casing the size of a matchbox.
The detonation mechanism did not rely on a standard miniaturized detonator, making it undetectable by X-ray. When the pagers were received in February, Hezbollah scanned them for explosives but found nothing suspicious.
The devices likely generated a spark within the battery pack to trigger detonation, causing the plastic explosive to explode. The battery experts noted that the pack carried less power due to the explosives and wrapping taking up space.
Hezbollah eventually noticed the battery draining faster than expected but did not raise major security concerns. The pagers exploded in September, killing 39 people and injuring over 3,400.
Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was reportedly behind the attacks, but the origin of the devices remains unknown. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement, but Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised Mossad’s results after the attacks.
The Weak Link
The pager’s power source appeared to be a standard lithium-ion battery pack, but it did not exist on the market. Israeli agents created a fake backstory to deceive Hezbollah’s procurement procedures.
They sold the custom-created pagers under the existing brand Gold Apollo, deceiving Hezbollah into thinking it was a legitimate Taiwanese product. Gold Apollo’s chairman added the product to their website, giving it credibility.
There was no option to directly purchase the AR-924 from the website.
Hsu claimed ignorance of the pagers’ deadly capabilities or the larger plan to target Hezbollah, portraying his company as a victim of the scheme. Gold Apollo chose not to offer additional comments, and attempts to reach Wu went unanswered, with no public statements made since the attacks.
In September 2023, the AR-924 and its battery were featured on apollosystemshk.com, a site claiming authorization to distribute Gold Apollo products. The website listed an address in Hong Kong for a company called Apollo Systems HK, which could not be verified in official records. However, Wu, a Taiwanese businesswoman, linked the site to her company Apollo Systems in Taipei.
The website highlighted the LI-BT783 battery’s exceptional performance, touting 85 days of autonomy and rechargeable capabilities. Despite not being commercially available, the battery appeared in online stores and forums, sparking discussions about its specifications.
Experts suggested that the website, online stores, and forum interactions were part of a deception campaign. Hezbollah leaders conducted internal inquiries following the attacks, attributing the security breach to Israeli agents’ manipulation during the pager procurement process.
Lebanese authorities condemned the attacks as a violation of sovereignty, with Hezbollah leader Nasrallah hinting at retaliation. Subsequently, Israel and Hezbollah engaged in hostilities, resulting in significant casualties on both sides.
Hezbollah’s investigation into the pager attacks faced obstacles, including the death of a key official in an Israeli airstrike. The ongoing conflict underscored the escalating tensions between the two adversaries.
By Maya Gebeily, James Pearson, and David Gauthier-Villars Please rewrite this sentence.
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