Pager and walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon: What we know so far

NEW YORK (AP) — Just one day after pagers were used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah, explodesMore electronic devices were detonated in Lebanon on Wednesday, sparking a second wave of advanced, deadly attacks which was aimed at an unusually large number of people.

Both attacks, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, have fueled fears that the simmering conflict between the two sides could escalate into all-out war. This week’s explosions have also heightened concerns about the scale of potentially compromised devicesespecially since such bombings killed or injured so many civilians.

This is what we know so far.

What happened during these two waves of attacks?

On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 12 people — including two young children — and wounding thousands more.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel informed the U.S. about the operation, which involved detonating small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers. The Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah also blamed Israel for the deadly explosions. The Israeli military, which has a long history of sophisticated operations behind enemy lines, declined to comment.

A day after the deadly explosions, more explosions were heard in Beirut and parts of Lebanon on Wednesday. According to Associated Press journalists who were at the scene, multiple explosions were heard at the funeral in Beirut of three Hezbollah members and a child who were killed in Tuesday’s explosions.

At least 25 people were killed and more than 600 injured in this suspected second attack, the Ministry of Health said.

Speaking to troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the electronic device explosions, but he praised the work of the Israeli military and security services, saying, “We are at the beginning of a new phase in the war.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Thursday that the massive bomb attack on the group’s communications equipment was a “heavy blow” and that Israel had crossed a “red line.”

He vowed that Hezbollah will continue its attacks along the border with Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues. “The Lebanese front will not stop until the aggression in Gaza stops,” he said.

What types of devices were used?

A Hezbollah official told AP that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The official Lebanese Press Agency also reported that solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl.

While details of Wednesday’s attack are still emerging, the second wave of explosions targeted a country still reeling from Tuesday’s pager bombings. That attack appeared to be a complex Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah, but it also caused massive civilian casualties, as the detonations occurred wherever members’ pagers happened to be — including homes, cars, grocery stores and cafes.

Hezbollah has used pagers as a means of communication for years. And recently, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the group’s members not to carry cell phones, because Israel could use them to track the group’s movements.

Pagers also operate on a different wireless network than cell phones, which tends to make them more resilient in emergencies. And for a group like Hezbollah, pagers offered a way to circumvent Israel’s intensive electronic surveillance of cell phone networks in Lebanon — because pager technology is simpler and poses fewer risks of intercepted communications.

Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based veteran and senior political risk analyst who said he has spoken with Hezbollah members and survivors of the attack, said the newer brand of pagers used in Tuesday’s explosions were purchased more than six months ago. How they ended up in Lebanon remains unclear.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday it had given permission to use its brand on the AR-924 pager model, but that a Budapest, Hungary, company called BAC Consulting KFT produced and sold the pagers.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said it had no record of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon. And a Hungarian government spokesman later added that the pagers had never been to Hungary either, noting that BAC had acted only as an intermediary.

There has also been speculation about the origin of the devices that exploded on Wednesday. A sales executive at the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese walkie-talkie maker Icom told AP that the radios that exploded in Lebanon appear to be counterfeit and not made by Icom.

“I can guarantee you they were not our products,” Ray Novak, a senior sales manager for Icom’s amateur radio division, said in an interview Wednesday at a trade show in Providence, Rhode Island.

Osaka-based Icom added in a statement Thursday that the IC-V82 wireless radio unit was once produced for export, including to the Middle East from 2004 to October 2014. But production and shipment of the main unit had ended about 10 years ago, and its batteries have also been discontinued. Icom said the radio used in the explosion did not bear the anti-counterfeiting hologram sticker that all Icom devices are required to carry.

What kind of sabotage would cause these devices to explode?

Tuesday’s explosions were most likely the result of a supply chain disruption, several experts told the AP — noting that very small explosives may have been built into the pagers before they were delivered to Hezbollah, and then all of them were remotely activated at once, possibly by radio signal. That confirms the information shared by the U.S. official.

A former British Army officer who defused bombs explained that an explosive consists of five main parts: a container, a battery, a trigger mechanism, a detonator and an explosive charge.

“A pager already has three,” said the ex-officer, who asked not to be named because he now works as a consultant for clients in the Middle East. “You just have to add the detonator and the charge.”

This points to the involvement of a state actor, said Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and expert in explosive ordnance disposal. He added that Israel’s foreign intelligence service, the Mossad, was the most likely suspect with the means to carry out such an attack. Israel has a long history of perform similar actions in the past.

The details of Wednesday’s explosions remain uncertain. But reports of more exploding electronic devices could indicate an even greater infiltration of booby-trap-style interference into Lebanon’s supply chain. It also heightens concerns about the lack of certainty over who is holding the manipulated devices.

How long did this operation take?

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An attack of this scale would take a long time to plan. The exact details are still unknown, but experts who spoke to the AP about Tuesday’s explosions shared estimates ranging from several months to two years.

The sophistication of the attack suggests that the perpetrator has been gathering intelligence for a long time, explained Nicholas Reese, an adjunct professor at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. An attack of this magnitude requires building the relationships needed to gain physical access to the pagers before they are sold; developing the technology that would be embedded in the devices; and developing sources who can confirm that the targets had the pagers.

Citing conversations with Hezbollah contacts, Magnier said the group is currently investigating what kind of explosives were used in the device, suspecting RDX or PETN, highly explosive materials that can cause significant damage with just 3-5 grams. They also question whether the device had a GPS system that would allow Israel to track the group members’ movements.

NR Jenzen-Jones, a military weapons expert and director of Australia-based Armament Research Services, added that “an operation of such a large scale also raises questions about targeting” – highlighting the number of casualties and the sheer impact reported so far.

“How can the party that sets off the explosive be sure that, for example, the target’s child is not playing with the pager at the time it is set off?” he said.

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Associated Press journalists Johnson Lai in Taipei, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island contributed to this report.