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The pagers from a recent shipment began overheating and their batteries were not lasting as expected.
For Hezbollah, it was time for an investigation. For Israel, it was time to detonate them.
The daring operation, which killed 37 people and injured thousands with explosives hidden in handheld communication devices, marks one of the most significant moments in the conflict between the two sides since October 8.
For security officials in Beirut and elsewhere, however, it was a bold and dramatic act akin to a high-stakes thriller involving complex cyber warfare and intelligence tactics, which only adds to its intrigue.
“It’s scary,” said one Lebanese security official.
The official and other security sources revealed details of the operation that shook Lebanon on Tuesday with exploding pagers and again on Wednesday with walkie-talkies rigged to detonate.
Shortly after the conflict with Israel began, following the Hamas attacks on October 7 and the start of the Gaza war, many Hezbollah members started relying on pagers and other dated communication technology to avoid detection. Despite this, Israel, with its extensive network of ground agents, managed to locate and assassinate several commanders and fighters in southern Lebanon and the in the eastern Bekaa area.
Its intelligence supremacy reached a pinnacle in July when it killed the group’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr in a strike on Beirut.
This marked the most significant breach of the powerful Iran-backed group's security – until Tuesday at 3.30pm, when the dramatic scenes of pagers exploding in pockets and hands began circulating in the media.
“The Lebanese security agencies assessment is that the pagers and the walkie-talkies were all from the same shipment, bought from the black market, through the same broker,” said one of the security officials. "However, we don’t know who this broker was. There are, of course, many unanswered questions regarding this broker. But it is very difficult for us to identify them because the affected party [Hezbollah] won’t disclose their identity to anyone, of course."
The pagers were labelled with the name of Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, while the walkie-talkies bore the branding of Osaka-based Icom.
Icom confirmed its IC-V82 device was produced and exported globally, including to the Middle East, between 2004 and October 2014. The device was discontinued a decade ago and Icom warned that counterfeit versions have since been widely sold in international markets.
Gold Apollo's chief executive and founder said he felt like a "victim" after the European company BAC Consulting, based in Hungary, was granted a licence to use the Gold Apollo name in specific regions.
Google indexed BAC Consulting’s website more than a decade ago, with the company described as “actively involved in international relations, examining social sciences and humanities through a global lens". However, attempts by The National to reach the company using the listed phone number were unsuccessful.
Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, the company’s chief executive, is listed on its website and has a LinkedIn profile. In a phone call with NBC News, Ms Barsony-Arcidiacono denied direct involvement, stating: “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediary. I think you’ve got it wrong.”
As of Wednesday morning, BAC's website was offline and the company's listed address appeared to be a residential street in Budapest. “The identity of the broker is probably the most sensitive and important piece of this puzzle,” the security source stressed.
According to the source, who has access to classified investigations, the joint assessment of the Lebanese security agencies is that the devices were rigged “with a small amount of an unknown type of explosives either at the storage place in Budapest or even in Israel”.
“The bigger probability is that they took them to Israel, rigged them with explosives, and then sent them back to the storage location before Hezbollah shipped them to Lebanon,” the source added.
While the security official stated that the exact nature of the explosives remains unclear, Sky News Arabia quoted sources who identified the substance as the highly explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate usually found in military detonators.
“The battery won’t explode. We are sure that these devices were rigged with small amounts of explosives, which is very hard to identify. It was very small, but the effect was big,” another security official said.
Security sources in Beirut who are close to the investigation said Hezbollah members could still use older pagers and walkie-talkies, and that the latest shipment is believed to have been the only one with devices rigged with explosives.
The timing of the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday came after Israel announced it was shifting its focus to the war with Hezbollah, which has forced tens of thousands of Israelis to abandon their homes in the north of the country. The government stated it was determined to change the situation, while the heavily armed militant group declared it would not stop attacking Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
To set off the explosions, Israel triggered the pagers to beep and sent a message to them in Arabic that appeared as though it had come from Hezbollah’s senior leadership, The New York Times reported on Thursday. But the story of the timing is much more intriguing.
“The security assessment is that this operation was planned to happen alongside an Israeli ground invasion, but they had to do it because they got indications that the whole thing would be uncovered soon,” explained a senior source involved in an official investigation.
“Some of the devices were showing errors regularly and heating up, and the battery wasn’t lasting for more than an hour when it should last for much more, maybe 10. These encounters were increasing and a decision by Hezbollah was about to be made to investigate them. 'This is when the detonation happened.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
