ISRAELI spies planted explosives in thousands of Hezbollah’s pagers before detonating them by sending a coded message, a source has claimed.
Chaos erupted across Lebanon after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah terrorists exploded almost simultaneously in a deadly attack that left at least twelve people dead and thousands injured.
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Iran-backed Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack and vowed to deliver “just punishment”.
The blast saw at least twelve people dead and nearly 3,000 injured, including Hezbollah’s terrorists and the Iranian ambassador.
Israel‘s Mossad spy agency hid a small amount of explosives inside the pagers ordered by Hezbollah months before Tuesday’s detonations, two sources claimed.
A senior Lebanese security source said the group had ordered 5,000 beepers made by Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, which were brought into the country in the spring.
The pagers been ordered after the group’s leader ordered members to stop using phones in February over fears they could be tracked by Israeli spies.
They said the devices had been modified by Israel‘s spy service “at the production level.”
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They said: “The Mossad injected a board inside of the device that has explosive material that receives a code.
“It’s very hard to detect it through any means. Even with any device or scanner.”
They added that 3,000 of the pagers exploded when a coded message was sent to them, simultaneously activating the explosives.
The source identified a photograph of the model of the pager, an AP924, which like other pagers wirelessly receive and display text messages but cannot make telephone calls.
The plot appears to have been in the making for months they said.
And another security source said that up to three grams of explosives were hidden in the new pagers and had gone “undetected” by Hezbollah for months.
In response, the Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo said the pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT based in Budapest which is licensed to use the firm’s brand.
Speaking outside the company’s offices in New Taipei, Gold Apollo founder Hsu Ching-Kuang said the pagers used in the explosion were made by a company in Europe.
“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it.”
A statement from Gold Apollo reads: “According to the agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for production sales in specific regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC.”
While BAC confirmed to NBC it works with Gold Apollo, Consulting chief executive Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono denied any links to the pagers.
“I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong, she said, causing further confusion about where the pagers came from.
A Hezbollah source said the pagers were “brand new” and had not been used by fighters before.
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The pagers started heating up and then exploding in people’s hands or pockets at 3.30pm yesterday afternoon.
The blasts left blood-splattered scenes sent bystanders running for cover.
It appeared that many if not most of those hit were members of Hezbollah.
The blasts were mainly Hezbollah strongholds like the south Beirut suburbs and the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon.
Pagers also exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official.
How Israel is suspected of tampering with Hezbollah terrorists’ pagers & turning them into ‘remote bombs’
By Harry Goodwin
NO-ONE has claimed responsibility for the explosions – but Lebanese officials have accused Israel, which is yet to comment.
Hezbollah said it was carrying out a “security and scientific investigation” into the causes of the blasts.
Diplomatic and security sources speculated that the explosions could have been caused by the devices’ batteries detonating, possibly through overheating.
Experts were mystified by the explosions but several said they doubted the battery alone would have been enough to cause the blasts.
Newcastle University’s Paul Christensen said: “What we’re talking about is a relatively small battery bursting into flames.
“We’re not talking of a fatal explosion here. I’d need to know more about the energy density of the batteries.
“But my intuition is telling me that it’s highly unlikely.”
Lebanese digital rights organisation SMEX said Israel could have exploited a weakness in the device to cause it to explode.
It said the pagers could also have been intercepted before reaching Hezbollah and either tampered with electronically or implanted with an explosive device.
Israeli intelligence forces have previously placed explosives in personal phones to target enemies, according to prior reporting in the book Rise and Kill First.
Hackers have also demonstrated the ability to inject malicious code into personal devices, causing them to overheat and explode in some instances.
Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute said: “This was more than lithium batteries being forced into override.
“A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery, for remote detonation via a call or page.”
Israel’s spy agency “Mossad infiltrated the supply chain”, Lister said.
A source close to Hezbollah said”the pagers that exploded concern a shipment recently imported by Hezbollah of 1,000 devices”.
The insider said the pagers appeared to have been “sabotaged at source”.
One security expert told Sky News: “The general view I am hearing is that this was an impressive attack made possible by Hezbollah moving away from mobile phones.
“They were not being suitably sceptical about their alternative devices or supply chain.
“It looks likely that the pagers they Hezbollah purchased may have been compromised and turned into remote bombs.
“If they all went off on a similar timescale then they must have been triggered remotely.
“It seems too coordinated and powerful an explosion to just be malfunction.”
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A Hezbollah official described it as the group’s “biggest security breach” since the Gaza conflict.
Former US intelligence officer in the Middle East Jonathan Panikoff said: “This would easily be the biggest counterintelligence failure that Hezbollah has had in decades.”
Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute said: “A small plastic explosive was almost certainly concealed alongside the battery, for remote detonation via a call or page.”
He added: “Israel‘s spy agency “Mossad infiltrated the supply chain.”
Hezbollah blamed Israel and vowed it “will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression”.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States was not aware of this incident in advance and was not involved.
Israel’s brutal assassination arsenal
ISRAEL has one of the most impressive assassination arsenals in the world and can wipe out its enemies with the most precise strikes.
Its security forces have robot machine guns, an incredible war chest of high-tech missiles, car bombs and poison syringes at their disposal.
Particularly in recent years, Israeli spies and military forces have taken out some of the country’s fiercest enemies with its formidable weaponry.
High-ranking members of Iranian-backed terror proxy groups like Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon have long been featured on Israeli kill lists.
Israel’s army is home to a formidable array of rockets and drone technology, including anti-cruise, anti-ship and even nuclear capable missiles.
It is one of the most technologically advanced missile arsenals in the Middle East, according to the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).
The “Ninja” bladed missile, or AGM-114 Hellfire, is a highly accurate precision rocket designed to hit a target without causing widespread destruction around the area.
Israel is believed to have armed drones with the missiles before, using them for pinpoint assassination bids in Gaza.
Although short-range, they are incredibly precise.
Israel also has in its arsenal several different types of Jericho ballistic missiles, a powerful nuclear capable weapon.
The first series was a short-range ballistic rocket, the second with medium range and the third a long-range, solid-fuelled missile.
Israeli forces also possess Harpoon subsonic anti-ship cruise missiles, with air, ship and submarine-launched versions.
The country’s Lora, Gabriel and Delilah missiles are also capable of targeting precise targets via sea or ground launches.
A more recent addition to the Israeli war chest is the Popeye, an air-to-surface missile with pinpoint accuracy.
It also has a long-range sister which is thought to be nuclear capable.
Israel has an impressive array of F-35 fighter jets which it can use to unleash missiles on its enemies across the region.
But it also makes use of UAVs, or drones, as with the precise strike on Haniyeh.
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