What are the pagers that were blown up by Hezbollah elements in Lebanon and how could they explode?
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said eight people were killed and about 2,750 wounded – 200 of them critically – in a series of simultaneous pager explosions across the country. Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah revealed in a statement that three people, a girl and two of its members, were killed in simultaneous explosions of communications devices on Tuesday, which led to hundreds of others among its ranks being injured.
The party said, “A number of messaging devices belonging to a number of employees in various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded,” adding that the explosions led to “the death of a girl and two brothers, and a large number of people were injured with various wounds.”
A source close to Hezbollah confirmed that the son of Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar was among the dead.
Southern suburb emergency
For her part, Lebanese journalist Fatima Al-Bassam revealed in exclusive statements to “Akhbar Al-Aan” that the vicinity of the southern suburb of Beirut is witnessing a state of chaos and turmoil, as well as the entrances to the suburb, against the backdrop of the simultaneous explosions of communications devices, which Reuters, quoting security sources, says are the latest model brought by Hezbollah in recent months.
Al-Bassam added that most of the roads in the area were closed to facilitate the movement of ambulances that rushed to transport the wounded, noting that most of the injuries were concentrated in the face and hands.
Al-Bassam continued in her statements to “Akhbar Alaan” that some hospitals spread out on the ground outside to provide treatment and first aid to some of the wounded in the field, as a result of the beds being full and the lack of places to provide treatment inside.
She pointed out that injuries that required greater medical interventions or large equipment were transferred to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, adding that the past hours witnessed a large deployment of Lebanese army personnel, especially at the entrances to hospitals, to facilitate the work of doctors and reduce the crowding of citizens, some of whom hindered the work of medical personnel.
What do we know about pagers?
For his part, the Lebanese journalist said: Muhammad the madman About the pagers devices that were hacked and caused these explosions, explaining that the “pager” is an old wireless device with old technology that does not work over the Internet and is not connected to “GPS” or external communication technologies, but rather works through an internal network.
Al-Junun said in his interview with “Akhbar Al-Aan” that this device is used to send and receive text messages or notifications between the party elements that use it, noting that Hezbollah confirmed the use of the device by its elements and cadres in various sectors.
This device is more or less of a very old use in the eighties of the last century, but it was retired after the emergence of cell phones.
Al-Junun added that although the use of pagers has declined significantly with the development of smartphones, it is still used in some areas.
How were the pagers hacked?
Regarding how it was hacked, Al-Junun suggested, according to experts and what is currently being circulated, that this was done by hacking the code of this device, and thus it can be detonated remotely by triggering a specific program or loophole that causes the temperature inside it to rise and thus explode.
He explained that the rise in temperature only occurs through the lithium battery supplied with the device, which led to its explosion, noting that this type of battery is highly flammable and explosive, but he pointed out that the damage resulting from these explosions depends on the severity of the area near the device, and perhaps that is why most of the injuries were concentrated in the face and hands.
Israel is the only accused
In a statement, Hezbollah held Israel “fully responsible” for the explosions that targeted its communications devices in various areas in Lebanon.
Hezbollah said in its statement, “After examining all the facts, current data, and available information about the sinful attack (…), we hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression,” adding that “this treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment.”
On his part, consider Lebanese Council of Ministers What happened constitutes a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a crime described by all standards by Israel, stressing that the government immediately began making all necessary contacts with the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold them accountable for this continuing crime.
In addition, the Iranian Mehr News Agency announced that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in a wireless communication device explosion, noting that he was transferred to the hospital to receive treatment, and that his injury is not serious.
