Understanding the Causes and Implications of Hezbollah Pager Explosions
ECE Professor and Interim Chair Josep Jornet explains what led thousands of explosive-filled pagers planted by the militant group Hezbollah to detonate in parts of Lebanon and Syria, citing a tampered fail-safe mechanism within the pagers as the likely cause.
This article originally appeared on Northeastern Global News. It was published by Cesareo Contreras. Main photo: Pagers belonging to members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded on Tuesday afternoon. Photo by: Marwan Naamani/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
What caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode? Northeastern wireless security expert explains what might have happened
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Thousands of pagers used by members of the militant group Hezbollah simultaneously exploded in parts of Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 2,700.
Reuters reported Tuesday night that Israel’s Mossad spy agency placed small amounts of explosives inside the pagers. Hezbollah purchased the pagers from Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese manufacturer.
Josep Jornet is a Northeastern professor of electrical and computer engineering and the associate director for the university’s Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
Tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have escalated since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and sparked the Israel-Hamas war. The two sides have been exchanging fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the war began.
The Associated Press reported that the pagers had recently been acquired by Hezbollah after its leadership told members to stop using cellphones out of concern they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence.
Josep Jornet is a professor of electrical and computer engineering and the associate director for the Northeastern’s Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things.
Northeastern Global News interviewed him about how such an attack might have been carried out. His answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.
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