Declassified: Uncovering the Secrets of Hezbollah’s Explosive Pager
Lebanon Explosion: 9 Killed, 2,800 Injured in Pager Device Blast
On Tuesday, a devastating explosion in Lebanon resulted in the loss of 9 lives, including a young girl and two Hezbollah members, with over 2,800 people injured, mostly with hand injuries, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The blast affected pager-type communication devices used by various Hezbollah organizations in the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Lebanese government and military sources attributed the “cyber and hostile” attack to Israel, although Israel did not claim responsibility for the explosion.
According to Reuters, citing a Lebanese security source, the targeted pagers were “the latest model they received in the last few months.”
What are Pagers?
A pager, also known as a beeper or whistle, is a wireless communication device that receives and displays alphanumeric text or voice messages and emits a sound when it receives a signal.
Although not as widely used by the general public as they were in the 1990s, pagers are still used by some workers in public safety and health services.
In the late 20th century, pagers revolutionized personal and professional communication, enabling people to send and receive messages on the go without the need for a landline.
The name “Pager” originated from Motorola, which developed the device by combining walkie-talkie and car radio technology in a transistorized pager.
How was Hezbollah’s Communication Device Hacked?
A military source suggested that portable wireless communication devices operating on a specific wave were hacked, leading to the explosion and hundreds of casualties in Lebanon on Tuesday.
History of Pagers
Here’s a timeline of the rise and fall of pagers:
- 1921: The Detroit Police Department first used a pager-like system with police cars.
- 1950s: Pagers became relevant in healthcare when the Jewish Hospital in New York City began using them.
- 1959: Motorola coined the name ”Pager” for this device.
- 1970s: Developers added tones and voice pagers that enabled users to send and receive voice messages.
- 1980s: Pagers were widely used and reflected the social status of the wearer.
- 1994: Pagers became relevant in personal communication.
Why are Pagers Still Used?
Despite the rise of smartphones, pagers have features and advantages that make them the communication tool of choice for many parties, including:
- Emergency medical technicians and firefighters, who use pagers to make quick decisions in emergencies and benefit from longer battery life.
- Doctors and healthcare professionals, who value the simplicity, speed, and confidentiality of pagers for communicating sensitive patient data.
- Bird watchers, who use pagers in competitive tournaments.
- Military organizations and teams, which appreciate the difficulty of tracking pagers, lack of context in message exchange, and strong signal network in rural and remote areas.
Types of Pagers
There are several types of pagers, including:
- Alert-only devices
- Digital pagers that can send numbers
- Alphanumeric pagers that can send written and digital messages
- Two-way pagers with direct reply features and small keyboards
- Voice pagers that can exchange voice messages
The type of pager used varies according to the user’s needs and the type of messages they want to exchange.