The Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah was rocked on Tuesday when several of its members were killed and thousands were wounded when pagers issued to group operatives exploded close to them.
While this is a positive development in Israel’s overarching battle against terrorism, it doesn’t mean that it bodes well for the citizens of Israel’s North.
Dozens of videos popped up all over social media showing terrorists in public areas, going about their lives when suddenly, the beepers they were carrying exploded.
While Israel has not taken credit for the attack at the time of publication, a senior Lebanese security source told Al-Hadath that Israel infiltrated the communications system of individual devices and detonated them. Al-Hadath also claimed that the IDF remotely detonated the devices using advanced technology.
A Hezbollah official speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had suffered in nearly a year of war with Israel.
How did they do it?
The beeper works by receiving radio waves on frequencies assigned to each device. When a message is received, the device emits a beep, prompting the user to call back. As technology has advanced, the devices became smaller, and short messages (numbers or a few words) could appear on the beeper’s small screen.
A source familiar with the few types of pagers used today told The Jerusalem Post that it is unlikely caused by a cyberattack as many have argued, but rather it is more likely that somewhere in their production or distribution, minuscule explosives were placed within the devices.
The method employed to cause the explosions is a mystery, and may only be discovered after the remnants of the devices are analyzed.
Whatever forces operating against the evil that is Hezbollah must first and foremost be congratulated. If it is Israel, that is something that should bring us great pride, as it reflects incredibly well on the security systems we have touted as superior to all others in the world.
If it is any other force in the world, Israel must see them as an ally to our cause to eradicate terrorism and extremist hate towards Jews and the Jewish state.
This is undoubtedly a time to mark the new warfare that we are seeing worldwide, in particular in the Middle East, not only in this specific war but in the past few years. We have seen attacks being carried out that embody the term “out of the box.”
In Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, for example, the IDF tweeted, “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.”
That was not accurate, in fact. Three hours prior, soldiers had been gathering along the Gaza border. That is a far cry from attacking within Gaza. Nevertheless, the tweet went out, and international media outlets unleashed a wave of unprecedented articles.
While no ground invasion was launched, in the air, 160 aircraft had assembled for a massive bombing run over the Gaza Strip, and due to the deployment along the border, and the news coming out in the foreign media of a ground incursion, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad sent their first line of defense into their tunnels to start taking up positions. Once they were out of the tunnels, they were exposed to the Israeli aircraft.
While the IDF at no point directly confirmed that this was a tactic, it undoubtedly gave the IAF a head start in the attack.
In the case of the exploding pagers, while different in method, is similar in nature to that attack in 2021, in that it is the new face of war. The world has moved forward since mere guns and trenches; today, there are cyberattacks, drones, and now, exploding electronic devices.
There is one thing we cannot forget, however, and it is the residents of Israel’s North that have faced the brunt of the war with Hezbollah and taken hit after hit.
While this new advancement gives Israel an advantage – or at least makes a bold statement in its name – it is undeniable: Hezbollah will retaliate, and Israel’s North will suffer the consequences.
To whoever devised yesterday’s cunning attack, good job – but always bear in mind that broad repercussions are inevitable.