Secret tech weapons: How old pagers turned deadly in Middle East conflict
Low-tech communication devices became unexpected weapons in Middle-eastern confrontation. Mass explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies led to significant casualties in Lebanese territory
About a year ago Benjamin Netanyahu made an un-expected move that changed the game in middle-eastern conflict dynamics. His office rep Omer Dostri confirmed that the prime-minister gave green-light to a unique tech-based attack
The sept-17 operation targeted Hezbollahʼs strongholds in south Beirut (and other locations) when thousands of pagers blew up at once; causing major damage. A follow-up strike with rigged walkie-talkies happened next day - both attacks resulted in 39 deaths and over 3‚400 injuries
Medical staff reported various trauma patterns:
- Missing fingers
- Eye damage
- Stomach wounds from close-range explosions
The anonymous Hezbollah rep called it their “biggest security breach“ in recent times. The group had been using old-school pagers to avoid Israeli tracking systems; which proved to be a fatal mistake
Netanyahu pushed forward with this plan despite strong push-back from top defence officials and political figures. The successful operation led to more aggressive moves: including air-strikes and ground operations in south Lebanon. Its worth noting that the Israeli military first kept quiet about these tech-based strikes; showing how sensitive this operation was
