NEW YORK, September 27. /TASS/. Pager blasts in Lebanon most likely were triggered by an explosive substance concealed in their batteries, CNN reported, citing sources.
According to the TV channel, on September 17, during the first wave of explosions, the pagers were turned off. Thus, reports that the devices detonated upon receiving a message were incorrect.
One of the Lebanese security sources told CNN that the way the explosive material had been hidden inside the batteries was so sophisticated that it could not be detected. That said, he did not elaborate as to what sort of checks the devices had gone through before entering Lebanon. The other source noted that "the explosive material was ‘laced’ inside the pager’s lithium battery and virtually undetectable. He added that he had never seen anything like it."
Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordinance disposal expert, told the news outlet that an electronic detonator and small explosive charge may have been implanted inside the battery’s metal casing "which would have made it impossible to detect with imaging, for example X-rays."
CNN concluded that all of this suggests "a sophisticated supply chain attack involving a state actor."
On incidents in Lebanon
Multiple explosions of communication devices occurred in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in various regions of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 12 people, including two children, were killed, over 2,000 more were hospitalized. On the following day, a new wave of blasts swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie-talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 25 were killed and 608 were injured in the new attack.
According to sources cited by the New York Times, Israel was behind the explosions. Earlier, the Hungarian portal Telex claimed that the pagers that exploded in Lebanon may have been purchased from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo by the Bulgarian firm Norta Global Ltd, rather than the Hungarian company BAC Consulting. According to the report, BAC Consulting, registered in Budapest, acted only as an intermediary, facilitating the agreement with the Taiwanese firm, while the Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd was directly involved in procuring the pagers. Telex alleges that Norta Global Ltd "organized the delivery and sold" the pagers to Hezbollah. Later, Bulgaria’s State National Security Agency said in response to statements made by Hungarian media that the Bulgarian firm was not involved.