- Lebanese military sources have blamed Israel, but there has been no official statement.
Pagers used for communication between Hezbollah fighters exploded this afternoon, injuring hundreds of people, according to Lebanese security services.
Speculation has since grown that the technology was somehow hacked or sabotaged by Israeli intelligence.
A source close to Hezbollah claimed the incident came as a direct result of an “Israeli breach” of its communications, although this has not been confirmed and Israel has yet to comment.
A different official said on condition of anonymity that the explosions were likely caused by lithium batteries that power the pagers.
While lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in consumer electronics, they can overheat and catch fire, and even explode violently in some cases.
The remains of what is believed to be a pager carried by a Lebanese militant that detonated earlier today
Pagers used by Hezbollah members for vital communications exploded this afternoon, injuring hundreds of people.
This is due to a phenomenon called thermal runaway, a chemical chain reaction that occurs when the battery experiences a rapid change in temperature.
As this chemical reaction progresses, it can cause a sudden release of energy that can cause devices to explode with intense force and heat.
Thermal runaway is triggered when the battery overheats, is punctured, or is overcharged.
There is still no official confirmation as to what caused the pagers to detonate simultaneously, however, Lebanese military sources have suggested that the devices were detonated as part of an Israeli attack.
It is possible that Israeli forces or some other actor hacked into these devices and remotely overcharged the battery, causing thermal runaway.
Pagers often use unencrypted communication channels and outdated software, making them extremely easy targets for attack.
One-way pagers are passive receivers and therefore cannot be tracked, but when a message is sent, all pager transmitters in the area are activated.
By hijacking the broadcast signal, an adversary could have infected all pagers on the network simultaneously.
Police officers inspect a car inside which a portable pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, September 17, 2024
It is possible that a virus was planted in Hezbollah’s pager network and allowed to lie dormant on devices until it spread widely.
This malware may have been activated remotely or by a pre-programmed timer.
The video shows that the devices appeared to receive a message moments before they detonated.
This signal could have been the trigger for the explosion or may have been used to ensure that fighters were holding the devices when they exploded.
If these explosions are the result of a cyberattack, then this is an exceptionally rare case of cyberwarfare causing disruption to physical infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged members of his organization to return to using pagers for vital communications, arguing that modern smartphones would be more susceptible to cyberattacks by Israeli forces.
But, like cell phones and many other consumer electronics, pagers also rely on rechargeable lithium batteries to operate.
Battery fires can burn up to 590 degrees Celsius (1100 F) when ignited.