BEIRUT, Lebanon — A deadly explosion shook Lebanon on Tuesday after pagers, used by Hezbollah operatives, detonated in various locations across the country.
The devices, initially believed to be simple communication tools, had been manufactured by Hungary-based BAC Consulting, a company recently identified as an Israeli shell corporation, according to a report by The New York Times.
The explosive pagers, which Hezbollah operatives had been using since 2022, detonated simultaneously, killing at least eight Hezbollah fighters and several noncombatants.
This incident has not only shocked Lebanon but also raised serious questions about covert intelligence operations and the safety of everyday technologies.
BAC Consulting: An Israeli Front?
According to the New York Times report, which cited three intelligence officers, BAC Consulting, a company purportedly based in Hungary, had manufactured the pagers that exploded.
While the company had produced legitimate communication devices for other clients, it had reportedly created pagers with explosive capabilities specifically for Hezbollah.
What’s more, the report revealed that BAC Consulting was an Israeli shell company, part of a wider covert operation to infiltrate Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure.
These companies assisted in hiding the trail and ensuring the devices reached Hezbollah operatives undetected.
The revelations come as a blow to Hezbollah, which has prided itself on its secrecy and technological acumen.
The organization has long been aware of Israeli surveillance and has employed various means to avoid detection, but this latest incident demonstrates that even seemingly secure communication devices can be weaponized.
A New Kind of Weapon
The report explained that although BAC Consulting produced regular pagers for its international clientele, the devices meant for Hezbollah were specially altered.
These pagers, which appeared indistinguishable from standard models, contained batteries laced with explosives. It is believed that Israeli intelligence intended to use the pagers as a covert weapon, setting them to explode at a strategically chosen moment.
The pagers, which were first shipped to Lebanon in 2022, initially arrived in small numbers. They were distributed to Hezbollah officers as part of an initiative to replace cell phones, which the group’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, had denounced as vulnerable to Israeli espionage.
In a fiery speech given around the time the pagers were first introduced, Nasrallah had called mobile phones “Israel’s agent” and emphasized the need for alternative communication methods, promoting pagers as a safer option.
Following his speech, Hezbollah significantly increased its orders from BAC Consulting, placing thousands of pagers in the hands of its operatives and allies.
Nasrallah’s Communication Shift
Nasrallah’s decision to ban cell phones from Hezbollah meetings and promote pagers reflected the group’s increasing concern over Israeli surveillance.
According to three defense officials, the Hezbollah leader believed that avoiding the use of mobile phones would limit Israel’s ability to track the group’s movements.
Nasrallah reportedly ordered his officers to carry pagers at all times and prohibited any discussion of Hezbollah’s operations via mobile phones.
The group’s leadership believed that the simplicity of pagers, which operate via radio signals rather than internet-connected systems, would shield them from Israeli cyber surveillance. This assumption, however, proved to be dangerously incorrect.
Following Nasrallah’s ban on cell phones, there was a marked increase in the number of pager shipments arriving in Lebanon.
American intelligence officials cited by The New York Times noted that thousands of these devices were distributed among Hezbollah members and their allies.
The devices, considered a critical communication tool within the organization, would later turn out to be a deadly trap.
The Explosive Incident
On Tuesday, chaos erupted across Lebanon as hundreds of pagers, distributed over the past two years, simultaneously emitted a signal to alert their users of an incoming message.
Many Hezbollah operatives, assuming the pagers contained new directives from the group’s command, opened them only to have the devices explode moments later.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as the explosions reverberated through residential neighborhoods and military installations.
Ambulances were seen rushing to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where the injured were taken for emergency treatment.
The Lebanese Red Cross reported that in addition to the eight Hezbollah fighters killed, several civilians were also among the dead and injured.
While Hezbollah has yet to issue an official statement about the exact cause of the explosions, multiple sources have confirmed that the group is conducting an internal investigation.
Hezbollah’s media wing has reported that the organization’s leadership is “determined to find out who is responsible for this devastating attack on our officers.”
Israeli Involvement Suspected
Israeli intelligence sources have yet to publicly acknowledge any involvement in the explosive pager operation.
However, the New York Times report suggests that Israeli operatives may have viewed the pagers as a “button” that could be activated at any moment, causing mass confusion and casualties within Hezbollah’s ranks.
The timing of the explosions appears to have been calculated for maximum impact, undermining the group’s command structure and devastating its communication network.
According to American intelligence officials, Israeli intelligence likely saw Hezbollah’s reliance on pagers as an opportunity to exploit the group’s shift away from mobile technology.
By embedding explosives within the very devices Nasrallah believed would protect his organization, Israeli operatives may have struck a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership.
Reactions and Aftermath
The deadly explosions have sent shockwaves through Hezbollah and its supporters, raising concerns about the safety of communication technologies in the face of sophisticated espionage operations.
For years, Hezbollah has positioned itself as a formidable military and political force in Lebanon, but Tuesday’s incident exposed vulnerabilities in its reliance on seemingly outdated technologies.
Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, are grappling with the fallout from the incident. Officials in Beirut are calling for an independent investigation into how the explosive pagers entered the country and who was responsible for their distribution.
Several analysts have suggested that Tuesday’s explosions could be the beginning of a new phase in the covert war between Israel and Hezbollah, where even basic communication tools are weaponized.
As Lebanon mourns the loss of life and Hezbollah assesses the damage done to its ranks, questions linger about how the organization will adapt moving forward.
The use of pagers, once hailed by Nasrallah as a defense against Israeli surveillance, has now backfired spectacularly.
In the coming weeks, Hezbollah will likely seek answers—and possibly retribution—for the attack that struck at the heart of its operations. However, the full ramifications of the explosive pagers may not be clear for some time.
The covert war between Israel and Hezbollah has taken many forms over the years, but this latest development underscores the lengths to which both sides are willing to go in their ongoing struggle.