NYT: Israel Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah by Taiwanese Company

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Sep. 17, 2024

Israel reportedly intercepted a batch of pagers Hezbollah ordered from Taiwan and planted explosive materials and detonators inside the devices before detonating them en masse on Tuesday and injuring thousands of Lebanese civilians.

The Times' Sheera Frenkel and Ronen Bergman, both of whom are Jewish Zionists, portrayed the indiscriminate attack as an act of strategic brilliance.

From The New York Times:

Israel Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah, Officials Say

Small amounts of explosive were implanted in beepers that Hezbollah had ordered from a Taiwanese company, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation.

by Sheera Frenkel and Ronen Bergman | Sept. 17, 2024, 5:43 p.m. ET

Israel carried out its operation against Hezbollah on Tuesday by hiding explosive material within a new batch of Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, according to American and other officials briefed on the operation.

The pagers, which Hezbollah had ordered from Gold Apollo in Taiwan, had been tampered with before they reached Lebanon, according to some of the officials. Most were the company’s AP924 model, though three other Gold Apollo models were also included in the shipment.

The explosive material, as little as one to two ounces, was implanted next to the battery in each pager, two of the officials said. A switch was also embedded that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.

At 3:30 p.m. in Lebanon, the pagers received a message that appeared as though it was coming from Hezbollah’s leadership, two of the officials said. Instead, the message activated the explosives. Lebanon’s health minister told state media at least nine people were killed and more than 2,800 injured.

[...] Keren Elazeri, an Israeli cybersecurity analyst and researcher at Tel Aviv University, said the attacks had targeted Hezbollah where they were most vulnerable.

Indeed, they were most vulnerable in public supermarkets, shopping centers and public streets surrounded by civilians.

What Israel has just done is, via *any* method, reckless. They blew up countless numbers of people who were driving (meaning cars out of control), shopping (your children are in the stroller standing behind him in the checkout line), et cetera. Indistinguishable from terrorism. https://t.co/th4fYwa0jr
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 17, 2024

⚡️Lebanese sources: Hundreds of pager devices exploded, causing hundreds of injuries. These explosions are the result of a breach. pic.twitter.com/RRbwOQ3adM
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) September 17, 2024

This is not only an attack on Lebanon but also Taiwan and global trade in general. The idea that Israel can intercept such shipments and plant explosives in basic communication devices which they can blow up at any moment should shock the world.

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