An invisible detonator and wafer-thin plastic explosives turned batteries into bombs

BEIRUT, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The batteries inside the weaponised pagers that arrived in Lebanon at the start of the year, part of an Israeli plot to decimate Hezbollah, had powerfully deceptive features and an Achilles’ heel.

The agents who built the pagers designed a battery that concealed a small but potent charge of plastic explosive and a novel detonator that was invisible to X-ray, according to a Lebanese source with first-hand knowledge of the pagers, and teardown photos of the battery pack seen by Reuters.

To overcome the weakness - the absence of a plausible backstory for the bulky new product - they created fake online stores, pages and posts that could deceive Hezbollah due diligence, a Reuters review of web archives shows.

The stealthy design of the pager bomb and the battery’s carefully constructed cover story, both described here for the first time, shed light on the execution of a years-long operation which has struck unprecedented blows against Israel’s Iran-backed Lebanese foe and pushed the Middle East closer to a regional war.

  • ShinkanTrain@lemmy.mlEnglish
    26·
    7 hours ago

    Bulky pager is a fun way to spin terrorism. Let me try.

    How Al Qaeda’s surprise itinerary shocked New Yorkers

    • pandapoo@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      8·
      11 hours ago

      I don’t know if this can considered terrorism, the same way I don’t consider car bombs driven into coalition FOBs in Iraq or Afghanistan, or roadside IEDs and VBIDs that killed soldier on patrol, as terrorism.

      If you’re targeting military personnel, it’s not terrorism. But, if you’re doing it in a way that unnecessarily causes collateral damage, too much collateral damage, etc., that’s a war crime. Which I believe this was.

      I can understand the argument that considers this terrorism, and I’m not putting down this flag saying that my understanding of it is right and yours is wrong. Just explaining my current view of the situation.

      But at this point, I’m not sure it makes any difference. Israeli troops, and settlers, are regularly committing unquestionable acts of terrorism and war crimes on a daily basis, so what difference does it make classifying this one incident as terrorism, or just another war crime.

  • NoForwardslashS@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    34·
    15 hours ago

    I wonder if the coverage of these pager attacks would be quite so complimentary on their ingenuity if it struck targets in Europe, with >25% civilian collateral, including aid-workers, children and members of neighbouring countries.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      6·
      13 hours ago

      >25% civilian collateral

      Is there a source on this? The initial coverage made it sound like it was maybe 10%.

      • Keeponstalin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        4 hours ago

        Are you counting injuries or just deaths?

        As of 22 September 2024, the death toll from the attacks was 42, including at least 12 civilian deaths. More than 3,500 people were injured.

        At least 12 people were killed in the first wave of attacks, including civilians such as two health workers, a 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. The adult son of Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah member of Parliament was killed; Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited southern Beirut to pay his respects. More than 2,750 people were wounded. In the second wave on 18 September, at least 30 people were killed and 750 others were injured. One eye doctor at Mount Lebanon University Hospital reported that a number of those injured showed signs of something being blown up directly in their face, with some losing one or both eyes, while others had shrapnel in their brains. The Lebanese health ministry reported that 300 people had lost both eyes and 500 people had lost one eye as a result of the pager attacks. Other doctors saw severe hand, waist and facial injuries, reporting patients with fingers torn, hands amputated, eyes popped out of the socket and facial lacerations.

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Lebanon_pager_explosions

    • PyroNeurosisEnglish
      4·
      13 hours ago

      Probably not. No one credits Al-Qaeda’s ingenuity with using planes as ad-hoc cruise missiles.

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        6·
        13 hours ago

        I do. It was very clever and they achieved every long-term strategic goal of the attacks, short of the destruction of the US (which may well be pending).

        But yes, I get your point, Westerner lives are special and sacred, because history is only still happening other places. When we die all logic must shut off.

  • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    3·
    13 hours ago

    There’s no kill like overkill, I guess. I have a feeling it would have taken years for Hezbollah logistics to figure it out even with none of that stuff.