Hezbollah Radio‌ Communication Devices Explode in Southern ​Lebanon

A series of explosions occurred in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, targeting portable radio communication devices used by the Hezbollah armed group.⁣ This incident ‍follows a similar blast on Tuesday involving communication devices⁢ known as “pagers” also belonging to the group.

According⁢ to Lebanon’s health ministry,​ 14 people were killed and about 450 injured in Wednesday’s explosion. The death toll from Tuesday’s blasts rose⁢ to 12, including two children, in addition to nearly 3,000 wounded.

Israeli officials have ⁣not commented ‍on the explosion, but security sources suggest that the Mossad was responsible.‍ A⁢ Hezbollah​ official described the incident as ⁤the ‍biggest security breach in the group’s history.

The Wall Street Journal reported that initial assessments indicate that the pagers exploded due⁣ to an explosive device fitted into newer models. ⁣This suggests that Israel may‌ have accessed Hezbollah’s⁢ supply chain to‌ supply the devices.

How Did⁣ the Pager ‌Explode?

Robert Graham, ‌CEO ​of Errata Security, believes that hackers tampered​ with the battery inside ⁣the pager and caused the explosion by sending malicious code. Graham suggests that a shipment of pagers was intercepted en route to⁣ its destination, and explosives were planted inside, in addition to a malicious code, so that ⁢it ⁤detonated by ⁤sending ‌a specific signal.

The Radio Explosions

The radios ⁤that exploded on Wednesday contained new batteries that arrived in a recent shipment and were distributed to a smaller group⁣ of Hezbollah members than the pagers. ⁢Similarities between the pager⁢ and radio incidents suggest‍ the possibility of some interference with the devices in Hezbollah’s supply⁣ chain.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported that at least 20 people were killed in ​the new ‍explosion, and around 300 people were injured. The incidents have raised concerns about the vulnerability of ‌communications devices used by Hezbollah, possibly indicating advanced sabotage efforts by external groups such as Israel.

Escalating Conflict

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s ‌attacks,⁤ blamed on Israel, threaten to ⁣escalate the ongoing conflict between the two‍ sides, complicating American efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza. Hezbollah announced that it will⁣ continue to support Hamas in Gaza by targeting the⁤ Israeli army.

The operations, which appear to have thrown Hezbollah into a state of disarray, coincided with Israel’s 11-month-old war in Gaza, raising fears of an escalation of tensions on the border ⁢with Lebanon and the risk of ‌an ⁢all-out territorial war.

Fake ​Devices

Hezbollah uses pagers and ‌other low-tech ‌communication devices to evade Israeli mobile phone‍ monitoring. Images examined by Reuters of the ‌portable walkie-talkies that exploded on ‌Wednesday showed ‌an internal plate with the‍ words‌ “icom” and “made in⁤ Japan”.

Aecom, a wireless and telephone communications company based in Japan, said it phased out ⁤production ⁣of its ‍IC-V82 model, which looks ⁤identical to the devices found in photos obtained ⁤from Lebanon on Wednesday, in 2014. An official from the‍ company’s American arm (Icom America) stated that the radios that exploded in ​Lebanon appeared to be counterfeit products and were not manufactured by ‍Icom.

The UN Security Council is scheduled‍ to meet ‍on Friday to discuss the recent bombing of Lebanon at ​the ​request of⁢ Arab countries.