A wave of lethal explosions has swept across Lebanon this week, leading to the tragic death of over 30 individuals and injuring nearly 3,000 more. At the heart of these devastating incidents are pagers, once considered obsolete, now serving as unexpected tools of mass casualty.
How Did Pagers Turn Deadly?
According to MTV Lebanon, the pagers were detonated remotely, causing widespread fear throughout the Middle East and raising alarms on a global scale. The Financial Times, referencing two former Israeli government officials, proposed two main theories: the first suggests that malware may have caused the lithium batteries within the pagers to overheat and explode. The second theory points to a potential supply chain attack, where devices were tampered with and embedded with small explosive charges during production.
Further insights from Reuters, quoting a senior Lebanese security source, indicate that Israel's spy service might have modified the pagers at the production level. By embedding a device capable of triggering explosions upon receiving a remote code, the pagers became nearly undetectable and could cause instant devastation.
These incidents highlight the alarming possibilities of how outdated technologies can be repurposed for malicious intent, bypassing traditional detection methods and leveraging advanced technological manipulation to achieve deadly results.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
